Thicker than water
by LovelyxLittlexLauren
Summary: Gibbs gets a surprise visit from former wife Victoria come to find that she is no longer a redhead but that's not the only surprise she has in store for him. After losing Clothes over Bro's Brooke Davis finds out that she is not exactly a Davis. Slight AU
1. The letter

NCIS and OTH

Truth or Dare

Chapter 1

The letter

Gibbs sat in the silent bullpen watching as the other agents in the office began their morning routines. He brought the Styrofoam cup in his hand to his lips and let the hot dark liquid inside it to fill his mouth and slide down his throat. After taking the sip he placed the cup soundlessly on his desk to let it cool just a little bit longer. While the morning felt quiet now Gibbs could not help but notice that his gut was churning for reasons he was not yet aware of. Instead of trying to figure out why the feeling was there Gibbs closed his eyes for just a moment to relax while he waited for the team to show up. Ziva or McGee would show up first or maybe together leaving Tony to come in last as usual.

Jethro sighed softly content with the moment then slowly opened his sparkling blues. Gibbs froze in utter surprise when he came face to face with a ghost of his past. How he did not hear her enter the area surrounding his desk was beyond him. For a long moment Jethro stared at her confused as if trying to figure out whether or not he was really seeing her.

"Victoria." He muttered, more to himself than to her.

The woman before Gibbs who was a former redhead turned brunette, stared back at him with cold and distant eyes. Like his they were a piercing blue yet unlike him she appeared heartless and this would likely be obvious to anyone. All it took was one look to figure it out.

With pursed lips Victoria Davis slapped a sealed envelope down on the surface of the desk between the two of them. Gibbs looked down at it for just a moment before returning his gaze to meet Victoria's. His expression showed more confusion than ever.

"Congratulations, it's a girl and she's your problem now." Without another word or even waiting for so much as a response Victoria Davis turned away and stormed out in her designer clothes and pricey heels.

Gibbs felt his gut churn again as he watched her leave shoving her way past Tony and Ziva as he got off the elevator. The senior field agent stared after her letting a playful and sexual growl escape him while wearing a smirk on his face. Ziva rolled her eyes at his behavior and headed to her desk. Tony strolled into the bullpen behind her and nodded toward Gibbs.

"Who's the cougar?"

Gibbs glared across at Tony. "My ex-wife." He grumbled in response.

The grin on Tony's face disappeared as he sat down and he decided it was best to not speak on the observation he made that the woman had dark hair as opposed to the shade Gibbs seemed to be attracted to.

Gibbs waited to hear the sounds of Tony and Ziva typing on their computers before reaching for the thick envelope that Victoria left behind. His mind continued to repeat her words as he unsealed the large brown envelope. He was not prepared in the least for what he was about to read.

Inside the envelope was a collection of papers that may as well have been a scrapbook of legal documents and newspaper clippings, pictures of a baby girl and finally a birth certificate and DNA test results.

The birth certificate had the baby's name printed in perfect cursive lettering. Brooke Penelope Davis was what Gibbs read after slipping on his glasses. At first he did not understand, the father's name on the certificate was Richard Edgar Davis, the same man that Gibbs had caught Victoria cheating with while they were married. Based on the date of birth the baby was far from being a child.

It was not until Gibbs actually looked at the DNA results that Victoria's words began to make sense. Gibbs read the results at least fifty times over before it finally began to sink in. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was the father of a twenty three year old woman who probably had no idea that he even existed.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

_Meanwhile_

Brooke opened her eyes as the sunlight shone through the curtains of the bedroom window. She sighed not exactly ready to face the day but she knew that once she was awake it would not be easy to return to sleep after already having slept through the night.

She sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before stretching her arms out to each side yawning as she did. She threw the covers off her long legs and slipped her feet into the soft plush slippers she kept on the floor next to the bed since the hardwood floors were cold in the morning.

Brooke smiled as the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen tickled her nostrils letting her know that Peyton was already awake and starting breakfast. Brooke ran her hands through her shoulder length hair and opened the door to her room. It did not take long for Brooke to go from just waking up to being her perky self.

She grinned happily at Peyton whose curly blonde locks were a tousled mess from a good night's sleep. "Morning, Goldilocks." Brooke taunted playfully. She received an eye roll in response from her best friend and simply laughed as she took the cup full of fresh coffee that Peyton passed her.

"Morning, B. Davis." Peyton finally replied as she turned back to preparing pancakes for herself and Brooke.

Out of the corner of her eye Brooke noticed a large envelope sitting on the island's countertop. She nodded toward it even though Peyton's back was turned to her. "What's that?"

Peyton looked over her shoulder for a brief second to see what Brooke was talking about. "It was on the doorstep with the paper. There's a note stuck to it from Bitchtoria." She answered groggily, using the nickname that she and Brooke created to describe Victoria's nasty demeanor.

Brooke's eyebrows pulled together in wonder and she moved around to the other side of the counter and took a seat on one of the tall barstool chairs. She set her coffee down in front of her and reached for the envelope sliding it closer to her.

The post-it note on the surface had a cryptic and hurtful statement in her mother's handwriting. _'You've disappointed me for the last time I want nothing to do with you anymore. Go to him if you need help with any stupid decisions you want to make.' –Victoria_

Brooke took a deep breath and crumpled up the note before tossing it aside not caring to find out where it landed. She lost her company and that was difficult enough and thanks to Victoria. The last thing she needed was to be called stupid yet again. She was doing the right thing paying the investors back and it was her company therefore it was not Victoria's business what she chose to do.

She sighed as she took the envelope in her hands and opened it up. Inside was a copy of her birth certificate which she didn't need since she already had one in her scrapbook. Also in the envelope was a copy of a wedding license but instead of her father's name it was a foreign name to her. _'Leroy Jethro Gibbs.'_

"Oh em gee." Brooke muttered to herself.

Peyton turned setting a plate of pancakes in front of Brooke. "What is it?" She asked curiously as she turned back to the stove for a minute before moving to sit beside Brooke with her own breakfast.

"My mom…she was married before she met my dad." Brooke explained showing Peyton the papers. While the skinny blonde took a forkful of her pancakes that she had just finished drenching in maple syrup Brooke took out another page from the folder.

"Who is that?" Peyton questioned after swallowing as she read the mysterious name.

"My father…" Brooke whispered.

Peyton looked up so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "You said what now?"

Brooke shook her head and sighed. She couldn't believe it and yet it explained how distant of a father Richard was to her and why he cared more about his golf-score than he did her.

"He's my Dad, my real Dad that is." Brooke clarified letting Peyton see the DNA results in her hands from just after she was born.

* * *

A/N: I just want to make a few things clear so you readers aren't confused. I love Julian but I wanted Brooke to be single, you'll find out why as the story continues. Also I am well aware that Gibbs did not remarry until the 90's I'll remind you that this is slight AU so the timeline is a bit different in order for this crossover to fit together. So, it is simple as this. Gibbs married Shannon younger than the show implies. Instead of them being twenty or so in this story they were 18. They have Kelly, move to Stillwater, etc. Gibbs goes off to war, the girls get killed, Gibbs joins NCIS. A couple years pass and he meets Victoria who is quite a bit younger than him but he's lonely and they marry, she cheats but she's pregnant with his baby not Davis's. She never tells Gibbs, they divorce, and she let's Davis think Brooke is his. Then comes Jenny, then the other two wives. So there is the explanation for the slightly recreated timeline. Instead of Jenny coming after the first marriage she comes after the second. As far as when the war took place in reality I am not going to get technical about that so don't bitch at me about it. This is fanfiction which means that historical events may shift a bit. It's fiction! That doesn't mean I'm trying to change anything I'm just doing what I can so this pieces together and doesn't get confusing.

Now as far as the timeline with Tree Hill goes it is all mostly the same with the exception that Peyton still lives with Brooke and there is no Julian. Everything that happens to Clothes over Bro's will still happen it just goes on sooner than it actually has on the show.

Also if you don't like the story then don't read it. I've had people in the past bitch about my writing b/c they hated it and that's fine if you don't like it but I have better things to do than read your rants about how I suck. So just be nice and if you don't like it go find another story to read.

Happy reading, please read and review. :)


	2. Breathe

NCIS and OTH

Truth or Dare

Chapter 2

Breathe

"Boss, you okay?" McGee wondered having noticed the distant look on Gibbs' face as he entered the squad room just after the other two. With his desk being directly across the bullpen from Gibbs he could see clearly that the team leader was thinking about something.

Gibbs was deep in thought but he was still able to hear McGee and snap out of it for just a moment. He glanced up from the papers he was staring at in his hands making eye contact with Tim.

McGee's question caused both Tony and Ziva to look up from their work to find out what Gibbs' answer would be. For a long time Gibbs was silent as he looked from one agent to the other then back to the papers in his hand. They had just finished a case the day before and if there was no call out then they would be doing a lot of filing of reports and such.

Gibbs sighed before finally deciding what his answer was going to be. He knew, much like the situation with Shannon and Kelly, that the team would eventually find out about this even if he did keep it quiet. For all he knew this girl was just finding out about him as well and it would not be as easy to keep a child who was alive, whereabouts unknown, out of the picture. Not that he wanted to either. Gibbs wanted to know her even if he had never heard of her before today.

Gibbs cleared his throat and removed his glasses while looking in McGee's direction. All he had was a few papers proving that Brooke was his daughter. There was nothing there about who she was or what she did for a living.

"McGee, pull up anything you can find on Brooke Davis." He requested calmly. His tone did not suggest that he was giving an order as it usually did leaving McGee to wonder if it was case related but he did not ask.

"Right away, Boss." McGee replied and seconds later his computer was on and he was typing away like there was no tomorrow.

Tony had a curious expression on his face and he looked from Gibbs to McGee and back. "Why do you want information on a world famous fashion designer Boss?" It seemed strange to him that Gibbs would want to know something about a small town girl turned famous for her clothing line.

It was not unexpected for Tony to know designer labels or say much about them but Ziva raised an eyebrow at Tony from her desk.

"I thought she only did women's clothing, how do you know about her?" The Israeli questioned. Ziva was not exactly the type of woman to wear expensive brands all the time but she knew many of them including this one. With the exception that Clothes over Bro's now had recently come out with a line for men called Clothes for Bro's.

Feeling obligated to prove Ziva wrong Tony stood and stepped out from behind his desk showing off his latest suit. "It's a Brooke Davis original." He said proudly.

"Sit down DiNozzo." Gibbs growled in frustration. Although Tony was unknowingly helpful by telling Gibbs what his daughter was doing with her life.

Tony sighed and returned to his chair smirking across at Ziva who just shook her head and went back to work. Remembering that Gibbs never answered his question Tony turned to look at him once more. "Why are we looking into Brooke Davis?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes at Tony. "We aren't, I am." He mumbled in response. As McGee got to his feet and made his way toward the plasma near Gibbs the boss stood as well and moved to stand next to McGee.

Curious as to what McGee was going to show Gibbs about Brooke, Tony and even Ziva left their desks and walked over to the screen. Gibbs was too interested to get the information to care what the other two behind him were doing.

McGee looked at his boss from the corner of his eye before clicking the remote in his hand. Gibbs became speechless when he saw the photo of Brooke that showed up. She had his eyes and a genuine smile.

"She's a pretty girl." Ziva observed from behind Gibbs. She had only known Brooke by name until now. Tony on the other hand had known what Brooke looked like and had a grin of approval on his face.

Gibbs sighed as he stared at the picture memorizing the details. "She's beautiful." Gibbs corrected Ziva's statement but not loud enough for anyone to hear. He was finding it hard to look away since he had missed watching her grow up.

As McGee began to speak Gibbs continued to study the photo of Brooke taking in every word that McGee said about her.

"She's got a pretty good background boss, senior class President, Captain of the cheerleading squad. She started her clothing line while she was still in high school. Went to fashion school in New York and lived there until a couple years ago. She moved back home to help her friend Peyton Sawyer with a record company called-"

"Red Bedroom Records." Abby interrupted from behind the group. McGee had just clicked the remote again before she showed up to reveal a picture of Peyton and also a legal document with both her and Brooke's signature stating a financial endorsement agreement.

"You know the company?" Gibbs questioned after tearing his eyes away from the screen when he heard Abby.

Abby nodded excitedly causing her pigtails to sway. A smile came to her lips before she answered Gibbs. "It's only the best label out there. Peyton Sawyer is amazing at finding new talent and signing the coolest bands and singers. Haley James Scott is one of them, she works with Peyton too."

"Any chance she's related to the basketball player Nathan Scott?" Tony wondered with a tone of admiration for the point guard.

"I think he is her husband." Abby answered.

"Do you need something Abs?" Gibbs asked with slight impatience at the fact that the conversation had got in the way of what he wanted to know about Brooke. Unless these people were somehow affiliated with her it seemed irrelevant.

"It can wait." Abby replied gently. "Sorry to interrupt."

Gibbs turned back to the screen along with the others. McGee clicked again and a picture of the Tree Hill Clothes over Bro's store popped up.

"Davis opened up a store after moving back to Tree Hill, used to be a café. It was actually a success up until recently." McGee explained.

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked.

McGee clicked the remote once more and a video came up but he waited to press play. "It was discovered that Victoria Davis, Brooke's mother lied to investors about the company's line for men and forged her daughter's signature. Mrs. Davis just got out of prison for time served. Brooke just sold the company and handed over her own personal fortune to repay the investors."

McGee nodded to the screen. "This was the press conference at the store where Brooke made the announcement."

McGee clicked once more and the video began.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"What are you going to do?" Haley asked from the couch as she watched Brooke pace back and forth from the kitchen to the door and back repeatedly.

The petite blonde had showed up after Brooke called a meeting seeking advice from her and Peyton. The two sat in the living room with worried expressions while Brooke was having a bit of a panic attack.

"I don't know Hales, what would you want to do?" Brooke returned the question running her hands through her hair.

"I'm not sure what I would do but I know I'd probably want to see him." She answered truthfully.

Brooke ceased with her pacing and stood between the kitchen and entry way. "I don't even know what he looks like Haley or where he is, what he does. He's a complete stranger to me just like Richard Davis. This is the last thing I needed after losing everything I have."

Peyton bit her lip as she watched Brooke on the edge of a mental and emotional breakdown. She sympathized with Brooke. Most of her life she thought the people who raised her were her birth parents only to find out she had been adopted. Even though she understood she had no idea what to say.

"Brooke, you have us and you know we'll help you through this. Maybe we can find him on the internet or something. I just can't believe your mother wouldn't at least give you some contact information." Haley said.

"I believe it, this is just like Victoria. Make a mess of everything and leave me to figure out how to clean it up." Brooke replied sadly with a hint of resentment in her voice.

Haley sighed and rose from the couch making her way toward Brooke. Peyton also stood and moved with Haley to where the brunette stood.

"Let's just breathe and take this one step at a time okay?" Haley suggested gently with her hands on Brooke's shoulders.

Brooke nodded as she allowed tears of frustration that she had held back for so long finally fall. "Okay." She whispered. She let Haley pull her into a comforting embrace and Peyton joined in turning it into a small group hug.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

The words spoken by Brooke during the press conference video on the plasma gave Gibbs some insight about who she was as a person but it was not enough for him. He wanted to learn about her through conversations with her not from what could be found on the internet.

Gibbs sighed as the video ended and McGee turned off the screen with the remote. "That's all I could find Boss. There wasn't much else other than a few false tabloid headlines."

Gibbs turned to look at the members of his team. Abby still stood in the bullpen along with them. They each seemed to be affected by Brooke's speech in some way.

"Takes a lot of heart to do something like that, give away everything you have willingly." Abby said softly. She seemed to admire the young woman.

McGee went back to his desk and Tony and Ziva were about to do the same until Gibbs stopped them from doing so. "DiNozzo, bring her in her. Ziva go with him."

"What for Boss?" Tony wondered unsure of what reason they would have to bring in Brooke Davis unless it was case related.

"What reason do you need other than my telling you so, go, now!" Gibbs barked. He watched as the agents grabbed their bags and stepped into the elevator.

"I would have thought you'd be more excited to be going Tony." Ziva said with a smirk once they were in the privacy of the elevator.

"What makes you say that?" Tony asked making Ziva chuckle.

"Tony, she is an attractive woman who dresses the famous movie stars you're always going on about as well as the general public. She's young, talented, and you're wearing her." Ziva explained.

Tony raised an eyebrow and his famous grin showed itself. "Just the clothes that she designed but I'd rather be wearing her in a more literal since."

Ziva rolled her eyes but she realized she had set herself up for that. "She's quite young for you Tony."

"I've been with younger women." Tony replied.

"That's truly shocking." Ziva answered back.

"Your Israeli sarcasm is not appreciated Zee-vah."

In the bullpen McGee and Abby watched Gibbs curiously as he returned to sitting behind his desk. He looked up remembering that Abby was there and seemed confused by the fact that she and Elf lord were staring.

"What?" He asked them both looking from one to the other.

"It's just…" Abby started then trailed off.

"You've never had us pick someone up without a reason for it." McGee finished for her.

Gibbs glared at each of them and gathered the papers from Victoria together. He stood and walked to McGee's desk. "You let me know if this isn't reason enough."

Gibbs slapped the envelope down and stormed out of the bullpen to get a coffee and take the time he had to clear his head.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I am well aware that Brooke Davis has Green/Hazelish eyes but to make it flow a bit more I am writing her as blue eyed like Gibbs.


	3. Quicksand

NCIS and OTH

Thicker than water

Chapter 3

Tidal wave

Brooke sighed as she pulled back from the hug between the Haley, Peyton, and herself after awhile. She looked at both of them in turn and ran a hand through her loose curls. "I love that you're both here and thanks Hales for coming by but I think I need to be by myself right now."

Haley looked up at Brooke and nodded but her eyes were still filled with concern. "Are you sure you'll be okay, you can call me if you change your mind."

Brooke gave Haley a light forced smile and nodded. "I know but I'll be fine besides you two have some work to do at the studio."

"Brooke you know that can always wait, you're more important to us than that." Peyton reminded her.

Brooke nodded and let out another soft sigh. "It's okay, you go I need some time to let this all sink in."

With nothing more to say Brooke turned and walked straight into the bathroom locking the door behind her even though there was not much of a need to. She still felt safer doing things like that even though the attack in her store was a long time ago at this point.

In the hallway Haley and Peyton exchanged worried looks before the taller of the two blondes went back into her room to throw on a pair of jeans and an old band t-shirt. She ran a brush through her hair and put on a bit of makeup before leaving the house with Haley.

Brooke listened for the front door to open in close before stripping out of her pajamas and running the bath water. She did not believe she would get to relax much with her mind full of all this new information but she was going to try.

While the tub was filling up with warm water Brooke pulled her hair back from her face and secured it with the hair elastic she found by the sink. Her thoughts were all over the place right now and all she wanted to do was go back to bed and wake up to find out this was all a dream but she knew better. That was not going to be possible as much as she longed for it to be.

She wondered how her mother managed to convince Richard that he was Brooke's father instead of this Leroy Jethro Gibbs guy, whoever he was. Then again it wasn't that much of a mystery to her. Victoria was a conniving bitch, she could get just about anyone to believe and trust her.

Brooke briefly considered that this might just be Victoria's idea of a twisted lesson but she soon realized that this is one of few things Victoria would make up. She would certainly hide it and she sure did a good job of that but making this whole thing up would be low even for her. Besides she seemed to want to disown Brooke anyway and the perfect way to do that is to introduce her to the father she never knew.

Once the tub was nearly full Brooke poured a bit of bubble bath into it and let the faucet run just long enough to create. She waited for the suds to multiple before turning off the water and getting into the tub to soak. She reached for her remote for the stereo and turned it on smiling as a song of Haley's came on the station that the radio was tuned in to.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"_Ladies and gentlemen thank you for listening and now we have a new song from the one and only Haley James Scott, wife of Nathan Scott and sister in law to author of An Unkindness of Ravens and The Comet, Lucas Scott. Guess you could say Tree Hill, North Carolina is the new place for celebrities to be. Move over Hollywood."_

Tony adjusted the volume on the radio from behind the wheel as he heard the DJ mention the upcoming singer's name which he remembered Abby mentioning. "I knew it she is related to Nathan Scott." The senior field agent exclaimed excitedly.

Ziva rolled her eyes and turned her attention out the passenger side window. They had just crossed the border into North Carolina after driving for some length of time. She let the sunlight shine on her face and her long hair blow in the slight breeze from the cracked window.

_"I like to say I've made good use of my time while you've been away. And it's true I've been at my piano everyday thinking of you…They talk around I hear them whisper, it's the funniest thing really they think you're gone forever…"_

"She is not bad." Ziva said softly as she listened to the music.

"Not my usual taste in music but I'll admit this is really good." Tony replied.

The two fell silent as the song continued and Tony kept his eyes on the road as he drove. The smell of fast food drive thru was slowly fading with the windows open slightly.

Tony waited for the song to end before starting up a new conversation. "What do you think Boss wants us to bring Brooke Davis in for?" He wondered.

Ziva opened her eyes having closed them in hopes of getting a short nap since they still had quite a distance until they arrived in the small town. She tilted her head in Tony's direction and shrugged with a small sigh.

"I did not give it much thought but now that you mention it he did not give us a reason. I hope she does not ask why we want her to come back with us. I would not know what to tell her." Ziva replied.

"Yeah me neither. I hope we can come up with something though." Tony still wondered what could possibly be going on and why Gibbs demanded Brooke be picked up rather than call her to come in herself.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Brooke had spent what was left of the morning hours in the tub. She used her feet to drain some of the water when it got to be cold and also to add water by nudging the knobs with her toes. All the while she thought about this stranger who was supposed to be her father. She didn't even know what he did for a living. Sadly Victoria was an expert at leaving out important details.

Haley made a good point when she mentioned searching him online but a feeling that Brooke had in her stomach told her there was a better way to go about finding out who her Dad was as a person. Suddenly she knew what it must feel like to be Peyton or her former foster daughter Samantha. At the same time her situation was entirely different.

Growing bored with sitting in the tub and knowing she had other things to do Brooke drained the water and stood grabbing the towel that she had left out for herself nearby. She wrapped it around her body and left the bathroom to get dressed.

Once in her room Brooke opened the drawer where she kept her intimate apparel and picked out a matching set of her own line, black lace, a comfortable fit. She put on the undergarments and made her way to the closet to pick out her wardrobe for the day.

She didn't know how she wanted to look. She planned to head over to the store after getting dressed to…well there was not much to do now that the company was out of her hands and the store was empty but she would find something to occupy her time.

After careful consideration Brooke decided on a curve hugging, mid thigh, black skirt along with a royal blue blouse with a sexy yet tasteful neckline that brought out her eyes. Both items from what used to be Clothes over Bro's. Brooke sighed as she went to the shelves where she kept her shoes and picked out a pair of black open toed sling backs.

The brunette changed into the outfit of her choosing and slipped back into the bathroom to put on her makeup and fix her shoulder length hair into curls. She left it down and made sure that everything was unplugged before grabbing her bag and keys from where she had them on her dresser.

Just as she was making her way to the door she heard two people arguing from the other side. Not knowing what to think Brooke stiffened and placed one hand on the doorknob slipping the other into the bag on her shoulder for the gun she kept. Brooke did not need to listen to the voices to know that she had never heard them before but she was curious as to what was being said.

"You are not driving us back Ziva!" Brooke heard a man grumble.

"Why not, you took the wheel on the way down here?" A woman with an accented voice asked.

"I'm pretty sure Gibbs is going to want her alive and not on her way to autopsy when we bring her back. I'd like to be breathing too not to mention injury free." The first voice replied.

_'Gibbs?' _Brooke thought to herself. She withdrew her hand from the bag forgetting all about the gun and she wrenched the door open to find two people on her doorstep that looked like they came out of Secret Service. They seemed out of place in Tree Hill especially the olive skinned Israeli.

Brooke eyed both of them carefully particularly the attractive male who still had his fist raised ready to knock on her door no doubt. Brooke couldn't help but smile when she noticed that he was wearing a suit from the men's line she created with Alexander's assistance.

"Nice Suit." She said to Tony with a small smirk indicating that she knew it had come from her own label.

Tony put on his best charming smile and lowered his hand to his side. He had seen many pictures of Brooke Davis and had seen her appear on television from time to time but nothing compared to seeing her in person. She was breathtaking even more so to him now than ever.

"Thanks, it just so happens that it is from a quality line originated around here as far as I know." Tony replied. From where Ziva stood beside him she rolled her eyes but the other two did not notice at all.

"I'm familiar with the designer, love her work. She's amazing, something to look at too. " Brooke flirted back.

Ziva again rolled her eyes and this time before either of the other two had a chance to continue going back and forth she spoke up. "I am Special Agent Ziva David this is my partner Tony DiNozzo. We're with NCIS."

Brooke turned her attention from Tony to Ziva the moment she began speaking. "NCIS?" Brooke wondered. It was something she had never heard of before but she did know that the two in front of her were federal agents based on appearance and the fact that they called themselves special agents.

"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service." Tony lengthened the acronym for her. He normally found himself irritated with the fact that some people still didn't know about the agency. This time around he didn't seem to mind as much.

"Okay, well what's NCIS doing on my doorstep? I'm pretty sure what happened to my company wouldn't concern the Navy much less the FBI." Brooke stated.

Tony brought a hand up to scratch at the back of his head momentarily. Ziva was not sure what to say but a look of sympathy flashed across her features briefly.

"We were sent by our boss to bring you back to headquarters with us. He did not say why but we would not be here if it was not important which I am sure that it is." Ziva replied calmly.

"Your Boss is Gibbs?" Brooke questioned.

"You know him?" Tony asked with surprise but he calmed down after a moment. That made sense as to why Gibbs had acted the way he did back at the office.

"No," Brooke replied in one breath. It was not a complete lie. "I heard you mention him from outside."

"Oh." Tony nodded. Now he was confused all over again and the same went for Ziva. "Well you are probably busy with more important things Miss Davis but if you could find time in your schedule to come back with us it would be appreciated."

Brooke was in no mood to argue but she did sigh and run a hand through her dark hair. "I'm not as busy as you'd think and you can call me Brooke. No need for formality." Truthfully the name Davis never sounded so foreign to her until now.

"I just need a minute first." Brooke told the agents in her doorway softly. She figured most federal agency headquarters in this part of the country were in DC. As close as that might be it was still a long drive.

"No rush Brooke." Tony gave her a reassuring smile and he and Ziva remained by the door while Brooke made her way back into her bedroom closing the door behind her.

The moment the door was shut Ziva and Tony stepped further into the house to get a quick look around. Tony noticed an open brown envelope of papers on the kitchen counter while Ziva looked at a picture on the bookcase by the stairs.

Tony did not touch the papers but he did see something shocking when he read the one on the top of the small pile.

In the other room Brooke went to the desk in the corner of the room and pulled open one of the drawers. She grabbed her small travel case of art pencils along with a sketchbook and a new portfolio she had already begun. She had not yet decided what she was going to do now that her livelihood was gone but she still had her talent. Maybe she could use it for something else.

She sighed and she met her reflection in the mirror on her way out the door. She looked tired despite the full night sleep she had just woken up from a few hours ago. She needed more coffee. Brooke fixed her hair and adjusted her clothes before opening the door to her room.

Tony pulled away from the counter where he was reading the papers just in time to not get himself caught. Ziva had done the same and retreated to the hall alongside her partner before they were seen snooping.

Brooke walked toward them without any reason to suspect them of doing what they just had been. "Sorry about that, I like to take my work with me." She gave a gentle smile and let the agents step out of the door first before closing it on her way out.

"No problem." Tony replied. He and Ziva led Brooke out to the driveway where the team car, a navy blue Dodge Charger sat waiting for them. While Tony opened the front passenger door for Brooke with his boyish smirk Ziva slipped into the backseat. Tony had made his point and she was not in the mood to drive anyway.

Moments later Tony was starting the car and turning out of the driveway. All the while Brooke could not get it out of her head that she was on her way to meet her father, her real father for the first time. She also could not help wondering if he knew about her or if getting picked up by these two was purely a coincidence.


	4. Strange new world

NCIS and OTH

Thicker than water

Chapter 4

Strange new world

"I don't believe this…Gibbs…Brooke Davis…I mean it's one thing to find out he had been keeping Shannon and Kelly a secret…I understand that part since they were killed but this?...How could he hide her from us when she's alive and….and struggling….we could be helping her McGee!"

Abby shook her head as she continued to pace her lab which she had been doing since reading the papers with the MIT graduate after Gibbs left the envelope with them. They had not seen him since he left the bullpen which only made Abby worry.

"Abby," McGee stepped forward getting worked up from watching an over caffeinated Abby go into a rambling rant for the last hour or so. He took her by the shoulders and made serious eye contact with her. "He didn't know until today, didn't you see the way he was acting?"

Abby felt her shoulders sag under McGee's touch and she looked down for a moment to collect her thoughts and catch her breath. "I just think every girl has the right to know her father. You have a point though. I think we all know Gibbs wouldn't leave her out in the cold if he knew."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Brooke stared at the blank page of her sketchbook where it sat on her knees and sighed. All she wanted was to start over and yet the inspiration just wasn't there. It had been absent for a long time now, far too long. She was starting to wonder if her heart was even in it anymore. Fashion design was more enjoyable when she was successful. Maybe losing everything was giving her a new perspective.

"Are you alright Miss Davis?" Tony asked as he looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was quieter than he expected her to be. The Italian hoped she wasn't too uncomfortable with his presence or Ziva's.

Something was troubling Brooke and though he barely knew her if he took a guess he'd say it was about the company she lost or what the paper on her kitchen counter had on it. The way Gibbs had been acting earlier made sense to him now.

Brooke looked up when Tony called for her attention. She gave a weak attempt at a smile and a slight nod. "Yeah, I'm fine." She replied softly.

From the backseat Ziva could tell that Brooke was being less than honest but it was not her business to say anything. She continued to gaze out the window and relax since there was quite a drive back into DC. She would not be surprised if it was dark by the time they returned.

Brooke let out a small sigh as she refocused on the blank page in front of her. Tony didn't believe Brooke's answer any more than Ziva had but there was nothing he could say without seeming intrusive. Instead he accepted what she said and paid attention to the road ahead.

Tony couldn't stop himself from hoping he had the chance to get to know Brooke on a personal level. He had no idea where that thought came from though. There was also the fact that she was Gibbs' daughter which would complicate things. What the hell was wrong with him? He just met her then again that didn't stop him in the past with other women. Already though Tony knew Brooke Davis was different.

"Why do you ask?" Brooke wondered softly about Tony's earlier question.

Tony knew his answer right away and shrugged as he spoke. "You just seem quiet that's all. Not that there is anything wrong with that."

Brooke threw a gentle smile in Tony's direction and relaxed for the first time since they left her house. "I just have a lot on my mind." She replied honestly. She ran a hand through her hair and waited for him to say something.

Ziva remained silent and closed her eyes to make it seem as though she was sleeping rather than eavesdropping.

Tony saw his opening and flashed his famous crooked grin. He knew he was treading dangerous waters by flirting with the boss's daughter but he couldn't help himself. Besides if he didn't act like his usual self Ziva would notice something was up. Tony hadn't told her about the papers he saw since it didn't feel right to tell her something he probably shouldn't know himself.

"Care to tell me what you're thinking about?" Tony asked Brooke.

Brooke thought about that for a minute. Tony seemed trustworthy enough for someone she just met then again given her history with trusting too quickly she couldn't be completely sure. To delay her answer she looked over her shoulder into the back.

"Is she really asleep?"

Tony looked into the rearview at Ziva's reflection and bit his lip. He knew from experience that if Ziva wasn't snoring like a drunken sailor she wasn't asleep. He wanted to talk to Brooke though and she seemed to be asking about Ziva to make sure the conversation wouldn't be overheard.

"Yeah, she's asleep." Tony lied although Brooke didn't know any better. His eyes returned to the road and he left it to Brooke to continue their conversation.

"What's Agent Gibbs like?" Brooke asked as she turned to face forward again.

Tony brought a hand up to loosen his tie before he answered the brunette beside him. "Gibbs is uh, he's a bit rough around the edges, quiet but he's a good guy. Life hasn't been easy on him but I think it's safe to say he's like a father to the team. I respect the hell out of him."

Brooke nodded satisfied with the answer but she had more questions. "That's good to know, does he have any family?"

She felt awkward asking that question since she was talking about her own father but she didn't think Tony already knew. It was best to ask the way she just did.

Tony hesitated momentarily with his answer. He didn't exactly feel comfortable telling Brooke everything about Gibbs. Some things weren't a problem but this was heavy information. Besides Gibbs would give him more than a slap upside the head if his daughter didn't get to know him from the source.

"That's something you should ask him Miss Davis." Tony finally said politely.

Brooke nodding accepting this then noticed that Tony's right hand was on the center console that doubled as an arm rest while his left controlled the wheel. She placed her hand over his capturing his attention for a second. "Call me Brooke."

Tony silently gulped as he looked over at Brooke and smiled flirtatiously. "Okay, Brooke."

"DiNozzo, watch out!" Ziva yelled from the back having opened her eyes somewhere in the middle of the flirting.

Tony jumped and as a result his foot came down on the accelerator. Before he had a chance to correct the mistake a trailer truck plowed into the passenger's side of the charger flipping the vehicle multiple times.


	5. Kiss of a Rose

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 5

Kiss of a rose

Gibbs walked into NCIS headquarters after having disappeared for over a couple of hours. There was no point in telling everyone that he had gone home to the basement to make an attempt at clearing his head. It didn't work in the least but he did have the chance to catch his breath and think about what he was going to say to his daughter whom he had never met before.

He had always known Victoria to be a bit of a mental case but she had crossed a new line with him by not telling him about Brooke until now. Although it was likely that she didn't give a damn. When it came to Gibbs she probably never did since it didn't take her long to start an affair. It was his hope that Brooke had been loved by the man who raised her but by the looks of it she mostly raised herself.

Gibbs hated to think that she may have missed out on having a father he hoped they would be able to make up for lost time. There was nothing more important to Gibbs than family. He was closer with his father now more than ever and the team was as much his family as any blood relative. He also wanted for Brooke to feel welcome here. This wasn't her home but maybe she would want it to be. Gibbs wanted to protect her now especially since he never had the chance to before.

As he made his way to his desk the team leader reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He was growing agitated by the fact that Tony still at yet to call him for an update. Gibbs knew his orders had been for Tony and Ziva to get Brooke and bring her back but he did expect a call somewhere in between.

When there was nothing on the phone such as a missed call or heaven forbid a text message Gibbs shoved the phone back into his pocket and checked his watch. They should have been back by now if not before him. He was growing more impatient by the second and as he sat down he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed.

_"You've reached the voicemail of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, I can't come to the phone right now but if you leave your information I'll call you back as soon as possible." _

Gibbs rolled his eyes and sighed when the outgoing message was finally over. He waited for the beep then spoke his piece. Tony not answering the phone was a head slap waiting to happen. "DiNozzo, you better have a good excuse for not picking up."

The older agent put the receiver down in the cradle then ran a hand over his face. It was getting late and he needed a coffee. First he needed to find McGee and it was obvious where the young agent would be considering who he left him with earlier.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Brooke Davis groaned loudly as she opened her eyes. At first she could see nothing, her brilliant hazel eyes were clouded over and she whimpered in fear that she lost her sight. However when she blinked a couple of times her vision cleared. Her head was throbbing and all she could smell was blood. Then a loud ringing noise came from behind her. She groaned as she turned her head to locate the object responsible for the sound and let out a small scream at what she saw.

She felt tears fill her eyes for the person she barely knew lying motionless. The body of Ziva David was halfway through the windshield and barely still in the car. Brooke was unable to tell whether or not the Israeli was breathing.

"Oh...no…god…no…" Brooke sobbed. She could feel herself going into shock as the realization that she was just in a car wreck washed over her. She looked out the window to find the car landed in a ditch sideways. Tony's side of the car was in the ground.

On the other side of Ziva Tony was waking. The gash in his head was bleeding so profusely that he was only able to see through one eye. He heard Brooke's voice but she sounded so much farther away than she actually was.

Tony was in a fog as he tried to remember what happened. The airbag was deflated in front of him and he scoffed at it feeling as though it hadn't done much good. The Italian coughed uncontrollably a few times and as a result more blood trickled down his chin. As he looked down he groaned at the sight of a glass shard embedded in his abdomen.

"Brooke?" The agent tried his best to remain calm. The less she could see of him the better he didn't want her to panic from seeing him in this state. From what he could tell she was already starting to. "Are you okay?"

Speaking was twice the struggle as breathing right now and that was painful enough. Tony could feel his body shutting down already but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"I don't know…I…I think so…Is she dead?" Brooke stared at Ziva searching for any sign of life.

For the first time since waking Tony lifted his head and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. "Brooke…you…need to get us some help." Tony told her. He tried to reach his phone which had fallen into the back but he was stuck. The wheel was crushing his legs and his arm felt broken most likely from either the airbag or Ziva flying forward.

"No…I don't…I don't want to leave you two here." Brooke cried.

"Brooke listen, climb out of the car carefully see if the other driver is okay. Then call for help I know you can do it." Tony spoke calmly fighting to stay awake, his body was so broken and Ziva's probably was too.

The truck may have hit Brooke's side but the injuries were more intense for Tony who was behind the wheel which was crushing him and Ziva who hadn't been wearing her seatbelt.

Brooke felt more tears spilling but she knew Tony had the right state of mind. If she refused to go Tony and Ziva may not make it…if Ziva was even alive. She didn't know Tony's condition but it couldn't be good if he was telling her to get out of the car.

The brunette went to move then realized that her arm was stuck. She began to try sliding it out from between her seat and the console then stopped immediately crying out in pain. "I can't Tony…my arm is stuck, I think it's broken."

Tony heard Brooke speak but he was too dizzy to comprehend what she said. The agent's eyes drifted shut before he could ask her to repeat what she said.

"Tony? Tony!" When he didn't answer Brooke swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and took a deep breath. "HELP!"

She paused and waited for a moment hoping to hear someone coming. When she didn't hear anything she tried again. "SOMEBODY HELP!"

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

The loud high pitched ringing brought him back to consciousness slowly. The formerly dishonorably discharged Marine grunted feeling his head spin. He opened his eyes and went to reach for the phone when the realization that he had just been in an accident hit him.

"Damn it." He muttered to himself. As he picked up the ringing cell phone about to tell whoever was calling that it would have to wait he saw the wreckage in front of him.

Then he heard the desperate cries for help as he opened the door to the truck ready to climb out anyway to see if anyone was hurt. Shoving the phone into his pocket the driver of the truck raced toward the ditch where the pile of crunched metal that was once a car lay.

His head was still spinning but the possible concussion he was suffering from was the last thing on his mind.

Brooke heard a set of hurried footsteps coming their way between screams for assistance. She was panting for air from both fear and yelling until her throat was raw. She felt fresh tears running down her cheeks feeling relieved that she had been loud enough to get someone's attention.

"Is everybody okay in there?" The man called to Brooke.

"No, call an ambulance please. I'm stuck and the two with me are really bad!" Brooke yelled back feeling sick to her stomach.

There was a long pause during which Brooke could hear the man's voice talking on the phone. She was becoming claustrophobic in the tight space of the crushed car and just wanted out. The tears never stopped even as she heard sirens in the distance.

"What's your name?" She heard the man call down to her.

"Brooke Davis." She replied out of habit. She also wasn't sure if it was appropriate to use the name she should have been given when she hadn't even met the man who fathered her yet.

"Who else is with you?" The stranger asked. It was obvious that Brooke was in the passenger seat. Although he could barely see her through the window he could hear her better than he would have if she was on the other side.

"Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo. They're federal agents." Brooke called back. She could hear the sirens getting closer and wanted even more to be out of there. "Who are you?" She wanted to know.

The stranger was surprised to hear the names of the others in the car with Brooke and swallowed hard. "I'm Damon Werth…I was in the truck." He answered.

The emergency response trucks finally arrived after what felt like hours to Brooke. The EMTs and firemen worked to get her, Tony, and Ziva out.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

_~30 minutes later~_

Gibbs made his way down to the lab with a Caf-Pow in one hand and a coffee in the other. He barely made it through the door before Abby threw herself at him nearly knocking him over. Luckily he saw it coming though and he spread his arms out to the sides to protect the beverages.

"Abs, can't breathe." Gibbs wheezed slightly and as she stepped back he hand her the Caf-Pow which she surprisingly set aside instead of drinking right away.

McGee was over by the computers sitting on one of the chairs. On the counter behind him were the papers Gibbs left them with.

Abby crossed her arms in front of Gibbs and shook her head. "Why didn't you tell us Gibbs?"

"Abby." McGee warned from behind her as he got to his feet.

The other two ignored him and Gibbs sighed looking down at the coffee cup in his hand. "Abs, I just found out this morning alright?"

Before Abby had a chance to even open her mouth to say something Gibbs' cell phone rang in his pocket. The team's leader fished the device from his pants and flipped it open. "Yeah, Gibbs." He answered.

There was a brief moment of silence while Gibbs listened to the caller. Abby and McGee watched worriedly as his complexion paled. "I'll be right there." Gibbs replied to whoever had called. He hung up the phone and turned to the others.

"Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"That was Bethesda, there's been an accident…" He trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. "Ziva's dead."


	6. Let me fall

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 6

Let me fall

"Nathan?" Haley called out to her husband as she and Peyton entered the house. They had been in the studio for the entire day and managed to get everything done for Haley's album. The two blondes put their bags down on the couch and the shorter of the two led the way into the kitchen where Nathan stood on the phone.

The basketball star held up one of his index fingers to silence Haley. There was an expression of concern across his features as he listened to the person on the other end.

"Brooke slow down I can't understand you, you're hysterical." Nathan said gently.

Haley and Peyton looked at one another in confusion while Nathan waited patiently for Brooke to repeat what she had just told him moments before the girls walked in on the call.

"Which hospital are you at?" Nathan asked Brooke. There was a pause during which Brooke told him the information he wanted.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise." With that Nathan hung up the phone and placed it back on the charger. By this time Haley and Peyton had a fearful look in their eyes.

"What happened?" Haley wondered with wide eyes.

"Why is Brooke in a hospital?" Peyton asked at the same time that Haley spoke.

Nathan sighed and walked around the other side of the counter and pulled Haley into a comforting embrace. He looked at Peyton from over his wife's shoulder then stepped back to tell them both.

"Brooke is fine, she will be anyway. She was on her way to DC with a couple of feds. They told her that their boss wanted to see her. From what she just told me, what I could make of it the guy is her real father. On the way to NCIS, whatever that stands for, they were in an accident. One of them is dead but like I said Brooke will be okay she just doesn't want to be alone in a strange place." Nathan explained.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Nathan that's what it stands for." Haley informed him.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that, Tutor girl."

"We'll come with you." Peyton insisted.

Haley nodded then sighed as she realized something. "One of us should stay with Jamie."

"Hales, it's his day with Skills, remember?" Nathan reminded her.

"Oh right then let's go. I don't want to make Brooke wait longer than she has to for a familiar face. We should also call Lucas on the way." Haley said quickly as she made her way out of the kitchen with Nathan behind her.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Peyton commented as she grabbed her bag from the couch and followed the other two out the door.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Brooke sat in the corridor on a bench with her left arm bandaged and her bag that she had just dropped her phone into at her feet. The designer bag from her own collection and the contents inside were the only items she was allowed to keep in her possession after the accident.

Everything from her clothes to her shoes which were covered in Ziva's blood had been taken from her after she changed into a clean set of pink medical scrubs. Not her outfit of choice in any circumstance but that was the least of her concerns at this moment in time.

Brooke dried her eyes after ending the call with Nathan and took a deep breath to try and relax. She was lucky to be walking away from this with little injury. Tony's condition she had yet to find out about and Ziva…well it just killed Brooke on the inside to hear that the Israeli was pronounced DOA. She didn't have to know much about the woman to understand that the loss of such a person was bound to be a big deal.

The brunette looked up when she heard footsteps coming her way and bit her lip as she saw that it was Damon. She had no clue what she was supposed to say to him, he probably felt bad enough, he sure looked apologetic.

"Are you alright?" He asked her gently as he took a seat beside her.

Brooke sighed and looked at her feet which were covered by a pair of socks that older patients wore with the anti-slip soles. She laughed at herself and shook her head. "I look like an escape mental patient."

Damon chuckled though his body tensed up for a moment. He turned to stare at the emergency doors leading to the operating room where Tony still was then sighed and turned back to Brooke. "I know the feeling, but you don't quite look the part without a straightjacket."

Brooke returned her gaze to the man next to her and she did not hide the fact that she was confused by his words. Suddenly getting a feeling in her stomach that she couldn't describe she came to the conclusion that she had said something that made Damon say what he did. "What's your story?" She wondered.

"It's complicated." Damon replied vaguely.

Brooke sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, I know what that's like. Sometimes complicated is the only way to put it."

Damon nodded unsure of what to say but he did agree with her. The former Marine took a glance at her forearm, the one that was in a cast and immediately felt guilt. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Brooke followed his gaze to her arm and shook her head. "It was just an accident you have nothing to be sorry for." She replied softly placing her good hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe it was an accident but that doesn't change the fact that one of us is gone. The worst part is Ziva was a friend. It would have been hard enough if she was a complete stranger. If DiNozzo dies too because of me I don't know what I'll do."

"Hey," Brooke moved her hand from the Marine's shoulder to his hand where it was resting on his knee. "Don't beat yourself up over this…I didn't know Ziva but I get the feeling she wouldn't want you to over think this."

"She was just starting to find her place…" Damon replied sadly.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs took charge of the wheel and despite his protests to keep them from joining him there was no way Abby would let him hear the end of it if he didn't bring her along as well as McGee.

The silence between the three was deafening. It just didn't make any sense that Ziva was gone so suddenly and in this way. A car accident seemed more like an insult as well as a tragedy for someone who had done so much to protect, someone who had the skills that she did.

Gibbs drove to the hospital with his thoughts going every which way. He chose not to believe that Ziva was gone, he needed to see it to be even close to convince that a mistake hadn't been made. If it was indeed Ziva he would insist that Ducky take care of her.

The team leader's knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. What if it had been Brooke? The mere thought of losing the daughter he still had yet to meet made Gibbs press down harder on the accelerator which was already to the point of being on the floor.

"Gibbs!" Abby cried out at how suddenly the speed of the car increased. "You want the same thing to happen to us?" The tears had never stopped falling since he delivered the blow in her lab. Her response to hearing that Ziva was dead was much like the one she gave after finding out Jenny had been killed.

"Abs, I need to know that at least Tony and Brooke will be okay if Ziva isn't." He growled. Before either of them knew it they were in the parking lot of Bethesda Naval Hospital, the emergency unit. Gibbs slammed on the brakes when he found a parking spot making the tires squeal against the pavement.

McGee and Abby lurched forward and both grunted softly when they returned to their positions. Tim felt sick to his stomach but remained silent. Abby gave Gibbs a glare, her pale eyes more angry than sad now. "I'm never getting in a car with you again." She waited for Gibbs to pull into the empty space then jumped out of the vehicle after unfastening her seatbelt.

Gibbs said nothing, in fact he didn't even hear Abby speak, he was far too focused on getting inside, finding Brooke and taking her into his arms no matter how strange and unfamiliar that may be for both of them. He wanted to see her and to make her feel safe.

Just as the trio was walking through the doors another vehicle was pulling up with four young adults inside of it. They went unnoticed however for the time being.

Gibbs made his way straight to the front desk where a nurse was sitting in front of a computer screen. A few other nurses and doctors were in the vicinity walking in and out of rooms or going behind the desks to retrieve and file patient charts.

The agent flashed his badge and ID quickly to the woman who looked to be around Tony's age. She had her light hair tied back into a tight bun and she looked up at him with blue eyes.

"Special Agent Gibbs," He told her quickly. "They're with me." He added as he gestured over his shoulder at Tony and McGee. "I got a phone call about two of my agents being in a car accident…my daughter was with them."

The nurse put on a sympathetic expression and waved over one of the doctors from the floor. She stood and spoke in hushed tones to the man for a moment who sighed as he turned to Gibbs. "Agent Gibbs, follow me, your friends can come too."

Gibbs kept a stone cold expression as he obliged and stepped away from the nurse's station. The doctor led the three to a quiet part of the corridor in front of a set of doors where the ICU was.

Just beyond the doctor's shoulder was a small window, one on each door. As Gibbs looked beyond the man he could see a bench where Brooke sat next to…was that Corporal Werth?

Gibbs blinked forcing himself to look away and pay attention to the doctor. He heard Abby sniffle beside him and a sigh coming from McGee opposite her.

"Agent Gibbs," The doctor started gently. "If you would like to see Agent David I can arrange that with the coroner-"

"I don't want anyone touching her, she gets autopsied by my M.E. no one else, are we clear?" Gibbs glared not wanting to hear an argument.

"I'll make sure that Agent David does not get disturbed. I'll speak with your director personally about transportation if you like." The man offered kindly.

Gibbs shook his head. "I got that part covered. Just do what I asked and make sure your coroner understands the consequences, if anything happens to her.

The doctor nodded then took a deep breath. "Your other Agent, DiNozzo is in critical condition, stable for now but it's vital that he gets rest. Any disruption whatsoever may alter his condition."

"How bad?" Gibbs questioned as Abby sniffled again quietly. From the corner of his eye Gibbs could see her drying hers.

"Agent DiNozzo is suffering multiple severe injuries to the legs, abdomen, and his right arm. There is also a startling amount of head trauma…I won't lie to you Gibbs…" The doctor took another pause.

"It'll be a miracle if he makes it through the night." He sighed as he saw the upset in Gibbs' eyes. "There is something else you need to know…about the driver of the other vehicle."

"What?" Gibbs growled through clenched teeth.

"It is protocol that a drug test be administered to drivers in such incidents…In this case the truck driver, Corporal Damon Werth was found under the influence of drugs we-"

Before the doctor could muster another word Gibbs shoved him aside and burst through the doors his piercing blue eyes darkening with rage. The former Marine was trembling with anger as he stormed toward the bench his face red and his hands balling into fists.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"CORPORAL!" A silver haired stranger that Brooke had never seen before came through the set of the doors at the end of the hall so fast that she flinched in surprise.

"Gibbs!" A gothic woman called as she rushed forward running toward them in a pair of ridiculously tall platform boots. Hearing the name Gibbs made Brooke freeze, was this man coming toward her the father she had been kept from her whole life?

"Boss, don't!" A thin man with large green eyes yelled as he also made his way down the hall.

Brooke didn't have a chance to react beyond the widening of her eyes as the man named Gibbs grabbed Werth and yanked him to his feet. The next thing she knew he was shoving the younger man into the wall.

"YOU'RE A POOR EXCUSE OF A MAN YOU KNOW THAT?" Gibbs roared in his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Brooke screamed as she jumped to her feet. McGee acted fast and before she could take a step he wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her backward and out of the way.

"You better stay back." He warned softly in her ear.

"Get off me Gunny!" Damon growled shoving him off causing Gibbs to stumble back.

"SECURITY!" Someone shouted in the distance.

"BROOKE…HEY, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Two men that looked about her age came bounding down the corridor one with sandy blonde hair, the other was the same height though slightly more muscular and with darker hair.

McGee loosened his grip around Brooke's waist having kept his arm around her in case she decided to go against his advice.

Gibbs turned the second that he heard his daughter's name being called by a complete stranger as if a long time friend had been saying his name instead. While Gibbs' attention was elsewhere Damon to that opportunity to throw a mean right hook into the superior's jaw.

In the same moment Lucas Scott took a swing at McGee missing Brooke by an inch. The young agent's head snapped back and immediately his eyes filled with tears and his nose began to bleed.

"LUCAS!" Brooke yelled angrily at him for his lack of judgment. She brought her left arm up to brush a piece of hair from her eyes. Intercepting the blow that Abby was in the middle of aiming toward Brooke's former lover in McGee's defense.

The young brunette screamed in pain as Abby's fist collided with her broken arm. Just then Haley showed up out of nowhere with Peyton at her heels. Then the attack on Abby began as McGee fought against Nathan and Lucas.

Chaos was the best way to describe what was going on. Gibbs took the hit from the other former Marine and didn't take the time to recover at all. He made a fist and swung hard getting the kid in the middle of the face.

As Werth closed his eyes Gibbs rammed his knee between the younger man's legs and watched him double over. The next move was stopped however when he Damon grabbed him around the waist and ran him into the opposite wall.

Gibbs grunted in pain as his head smashed into the bricks behind him. He slumped against his opponent and was getting ready to fight back again when a loud earsplitting whistle stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Did I make a wrong turn on the way here?" A statuesque brunette in a stylish black suit with a light pink blouse stood in the middle of the hall with a brief case in hand and glasses on. She could pass for Sarah Shahi's doppelganger though this woman was much taller. "I thought I was at a hospital not Fight Club. Where the hell is your sense of decorum?"

She looked at all of them in turn. The last to capture her gaze was Gibbs. He stared back at her for a moment and sighed. "Just let me have one more."

The woman rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip and gave an impatient nod. Once he had her approval Gibbs took one last swing at Damon and smirked in victory.

"Satisfied?" The newcomer to the scene asked. Damon groaned and glared at Gibbs but decided against striking back.

"Yeah, for now I am." Gibbs replied with a shrug. His head was still spinning slightly from the run in with the wall. "What are you doing here Samantha?"

"Well…I heard about why the rest of you are here." She looked around at McGee and Abby and shook her head. "You got a little something on you tie there Timmy." She said pointing at the bloodstain.

"Oh no that's just great." McGee mumbled as he looked down keeping his broken nose pinched in hopes to stop the blood flow. "Thanks jackass." He growled looking from his clothes to Lucas.

"Come on McGee let's find someone to help you." Abby took his free hand though before she walked away with him she turned to Brooke.

"Sorry about…umm…hitting your arm…before." She said softly.

Brooke had the cast covered arm cradled in the other and she smiled halfheartedly at Abby. "It's okay I know you didn't mean it."

Abby nodded making her pigtails sway slightly and she turned back to McGee who walked down the hall with her to get a doctor to adjust his nose.

The four Tree Hill natives other than Brooke watched the two leave the corridor. They were not nearly as battered as Gibbs or Damon considering the fact that their fight consisted mostly of pushing and shoving.

Lucas' eyes became wide as the realization donned on him that McGee was a fellow novelist. "Oh crap, I think I just punched Thom E. Gemcity in the face."

Haley looked up and gasped slightly, she hadn't recognized the author not that she had much time to pay attention she just kind of got lost in what was happening. "Luke!"

"You didn't notice that was him either." Lucas replied.

Haley grumbled in defeat and crossed her arms over her chest. Nathan was the first to step forward and gently wrap his arms around Brooke's shoulders. She quickly buried her face in his shirt to hide her discomfort in this entire situation.

Damon winced in pain as he touched the wounds on his face and leaned against the wall. Peyton noticed him standing there and was about to speak when the scholarly looking woman spoke up.

"Werth, get lost but don't even think about straying too far. I'm going to want to talk to you. As for the rest of you, please remove yourselves from this area. There is a waiting room for a reason." She told the group.

Damon was already halfway down the hall before the rest of them started to follow. Brooke tore away from Nathan to pick up her bag then go with her friends but she turned back to look at Gibbs instead. She hesitated and bit her lip as it started to tremble and her eyes filled with tears.

Gibbs stared at his daughter woefully and drew in a sharp breath which made his ribs ache but he didn't let it show. The agent simply opened his arms and that was all the invitation Brooke needed. She rushed forward and found comfort in her father's arms as if he had been in her life all along.

Brooke closed her eyes as Gibbs wrapped his arms tightly around the young woman. His heart became heavy as he thought about all the years that had gone by without knowing she was his little girl. He only hoped that after the fear of this night was gone she would still be comfortable like this with him.

At the end of the hall by the doors the group noticed that Brooke was missing and turned back. Haley smiled and Peyton had a look of understanding in her eyes. Nathan had the same reaction as Haley and put an arm around her. Lucas looked confused but shrugged and went to take a seat and the other three joined him.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

For a long time Brooke clung onto Gibbs. She let the silent tears pour down her cheeks like rain and after what seemed like hours she managed to pull herself together. She took a step back and Gibbs loosened his grip but didn't let go.

Gibbs raised his hands and gently held her face wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "You're safe now." He promised softly.

"I hope so…why did you punch him, Damon?" She asked.

Gibbs took a deep breath and shook his head. "It's better that you don't know." He decided as he lowered his hands to rest on her shoulders.

"I'd like to hear it from you." Brooke told her father. She was surprised at how easily she was warming up to him. Something in her heart told her that there was nothing to fear.

Gibbs opened his mouth to give Brooke the answer she wanted but stopped short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to meet Samantha's soft green eyes and he let her interrupt.

"Miss…Davis, I spoke to the doctor on my way in. Tony can take visitor's one at a time if you'd like to go in and see him you're welcome to do so." Samantha explained.

Brooke looked from Gibbs to this woman and back again. He gave her a nod of encouragement. For a moment the young woman hesitated then looked over at the door to Tony's room. She took a deep breath before stepping away from Gibbs and entering making sure the door closed behind her before she took a seat next to the bed.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs watched after Brooke for a moment then realized that he was holding his breath and let it out slowly. He turned to Samantha who had removed her glasses from her face and rested them on top of her head.

"Did you get those papers I asked for?"

She raised the briefcase in her hand slightly to get him to look at it. "Right here, Jethro."

Gibbs nodded and took a step toward her removing the case from her hand and setting it on the bench Brooke had been sitting on earlier.

"I'm going to take a guess and say you convinced this place to call off the dogs back there." Gibbs said to her. He leaned against the wall taking her by the hips and pulling her close to him.

"I've been saving your ass since we were kids haven't I?" Samantha winked. She was half joking, the other part of her completely serious. She rested her hands on his shoulders and relaxed her body against his.

As he looked into her eyes he could see the resemblance to her sister there but that's not why he was with her. The lawyer in his arms was a different person regardless of who she looked like and her relation to the other woman from his past, technically their past.

"You've been there for me a lot Sam." Gibbs said softly letting his hands rest low on her back where her shirt tucked into her skirt.

"This time won't be any different." She replied pressing her soft full lips to his for a moment.


	7. My two dads

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 7

My two Dads

Brooke looked around at the equipment in the room keeping Tony stable. The steady beeping of the heart rate monitor was oddly soothing. It gave her hope that he would be alright despite what the doctor told her earlier.

She took a deep breath as she looked down at the Special Agent. He looked strangely peaceful considering the circumstances although his eyes were moving back and forth rapidly under his closed lids. Brooke wondered what was going on in that mind of his, if he was dreaming was it a nightmare?

The brunette couldn't help but think that the reality she was currently part of was the worst of her nightmares to date. She barely knew the people she was being surrounded by today but given the events that had played out she felt a strong connection to everyone. That included the two that she had yet to learn the names of, the Goth and the man that showed up with Gibbs who reminded her of Mouth.

For a moment Brooke closed her eyes and her eyebrows pulled together. The smell of blood still invaded her nose even long after being extracted from the wreckage with the 'jaws of life'. A flash of the truck hurtling toward them make Brooke open her eyes again in fear that her mind would replay everything she had just been through. She just wasn't ready for that.

"I can't help thinking you wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for me." Brooke whispered as she grabbed hold of Tony's hand. She sighed and studied every detail tracing the lines of his palm with gentle fingertips.

Without her noticing the agent opened his eyes his vision cloudy at first as the effects of sleep began to wear off. Before he could see properly the woman sitting beside him looked like someone else for a second.

"Kate?" Tony whispered.

Brooke flinched when Tony snapped her out of her reverie. She heard him mumbled a foreign name and shook her head. "No, I'm Brooke." She corrected softly. '_Was Kate his wife, girlfriend?' _She thought.

Tony's vision cleared just as he was replied to and he sighed. "Sorry, for a minute there you looked like my old partner."

"It's okay…I can find out where she is if you want to see her." Brooke offered. Her hands had stilled since Tony surprised her by waking up but they remained holding onto his gently.

"Don't bother, she's dead has been for a few years now." Tony's blue green eyes wandered over Brooke to see that she was in fact okay. He frowned at the sight of the cast on her left arm and ran his thumb slowly over the back of her hand. "Are you okay?"

Brooke nodded and drew in a sharp breath. "I'm fine…" She sighed shaking her head. "I will be fine." She corrected.

"Ziva?" Tony asked and immediately he regretted doing so when he saw the tears fill her eyes threatening to spill and that they did.

The senior field agent could not help but feel a new found respect for Brooke. Here she was a young woman who less than twenty four hours ago had no idea Ziva even existed. Yet she was shedding tears for the Israeli as if they had been close friends all their lives.

Tony's own heart was feeling shattered at the realization that Ziva would never again tease him or work at his side pushing his buttons every chance she got. He felt like falling apart himself but the last thing he wanted was to make Brooke feel even more uncomfortable in this situation.

"Hey, take it easy." Tony soothed and without thinking about his actions he lifted his free hand and moved the hair from her eyes tucking it gently behind her ear.

Brooke took a shuddering breath and did her best to keep from sobbing. "If…maybe if I had woken up sooner-"

"Don't do that, you can't blame yourself for this okay?" Tony sat up with an audible groan feeling a blinding pain in his abdomen but he ignored it. Right now his main concern was to comfort Brooke.

"You did what you had to do you called for help we got out of there. Nothing more could have been done on your part, understand?" Tony spoke calmly to her giving her hand a small squeeze of affection and resting his other against her cheek.

Brooke simply nodded and Tony patted the bed beside him as he made room. Maybe it wasn't the best decision to make but he didn't know Gibbs was on the other side of the door either. He was drawn to Brooke in a way he couldn't explain and the sight of her sadness didn't sit well with him.

There was a brief moment where Brooke hesitated then she sighed and dried her eyes as she stood from the chair and perched on the edge of the bed. He placed an arm around her shoulders and that motion got her to relax more and she shifted so she lay beside him.

"Ziva would be flattered that you care so much." Tony reassured her.

"I suppose you would know that since she was your partner." Brooke replied politely.

"I like to think so." Tony replied as he drifted back to sleep from the painkillers pumping through his system.

Brooke watched him fall asleep before her own eyelids became heavy and she too closed her eyes.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Lucas sat beside Haley in the waiting area with Peyton leaning against the wall nearby and Nathan on the other side of him.

In the opposite corner of the quiet room Abby and McGee had just taken up two of the chairs. She had silent tears running down her pale cheeks and he had his nose repositioned and bandaged.

Haley nudged Lucas hard in the ribs with her elbow and in return she received a punch in the arm. "Ouch!" She grunted. "Go apologize." She whispered as she rubbed the spot where he just hit her.

Lucas rolled his eyes at his sister figure and gave an exasperated sigh. "Maybe I was trying to figure out what to say first, ever think of that?"

"Sorry I broke your face would be a nice start."

"I have to agree with her on that one." Nathan chuckled.

"Last I checked he wasn't the only one throwing punches." Peyton chimed in with a smirk.

"You're one to talk." Haley said.

In the meantime Lucas was getting to his feet, upon seeing this Haley rose too. He threw her a quizzical look and she shrugged. "What I'm a big fan of his work, I want to introduce myself."

Lucas simply shook his head and walked over to Abby and McGee. Haley followed trying to keep from smiling too much. As excited as she was to be meeting the author of a best seller other than Lucas she was aware of the loss that had brought them to the hospital.

Nathan looked at Peyton and gave a nod in the direction of the others. She straightened and gave a half smile letting him know she understood what he was suggesting. The NBA player stood and walked over after Haley and Lucas with Peyton at his side.

"Mind if we sit over here?" Lucas asked in a small effort to make peace.

McGee and Abby had looked up the moment they heard footsteps coming their way. She wiped away her tears with the sleeves of her sweater while he gestured to the empty seats in answer to Lucas' request.

"I'm-"

"Lucas Scott, I know you, have a couple of books out." McGee replied. "I like to know who the competition is." He stretched a hand out to the kid and Lucas responded by shaking McGee's hand before taking a seat.

"We have that in common I've read your work. You've really got something there." Lucas replied.

"Thanks, you're doing pretty well yourself." McGee said.

"Thanks for taking the time to notice...uh…sorry about your nose." Lucas muttered not pleased with his earlier actions. "I acted on impulse." He added lamely.

"Don't worry about it. I've dealt with worse besides you thought you were protecting your friend, can't blame you for that." McGee gave a poor excuse of a smile but the intent was sincere.

"Mr. Gemcity-" Haley began.

"Oh…uh…Timothy McGee…is my real name Ma'am. Gemcity is just something I came up with to protect my real identity. I'm a Special Agent with NCIS and this is Abby Sciuto our forensic specialist." McGee explained making sure he was as polite as possible as he gave up his real name and introduced Abby.

"You can just call me-"

"Haley James Scott?" Abby smiled despite what the day had brought to them.

The petite blonde smiled warmly and shrugged. "Just Haley will do…I guess you know my music?"

"Know it, I LOVE it. I play it all the time in my lab. I kind of like to play music when I work helps me to concentrate." Abby replied. She was happy to be getting a distraction from the bad news about Ziva.

"I'm flattered." Haley replied with a light blush reaching her cheeks. "This is-"

"Peyton Sawyer." Abby cut her off again and in realizing so she bit her lip. "Sorry Haley, I get excited when I meet people I've heard a lot about for the first time. Speaking of which," She turned her attention to Nathan. "Tony is a huge sports fan he would find it so cool to meet you."

Nate smirked and nodded at Abby. "I'll pop in and say hello to him then as soon as it's okay."

Abby gave a satisfied smile. "Thanks." She turned back to the girls while Lucas, Nathan, and McGee had their own conversation about guy stuff.

"Red Bedroom Records totally rocks you have amazing taste in music." Abby complimented Peyton with a bright smile.

"Thanks but it's not just about the music for me. When I sign a band or a soloist I look for a lot more than just sound. It's hard to put into words but the best way I can explain it is that when an artist really puts themselves into the music it should reach the people around them." Peyton replied.

"I see that in Haley every time she performs." The taller blonde added.

Haley grinned and shrugged as she ran a hand through her hair. "It all just comes from the heart for me." She said softly.

"That's what the audience relates to if you ask me." Abby replied.

"I'm glad you see it that way…music shouldn't be about a business deal and how much money you can make off it. Haley's right, it's just got to come from the heart." Peyton spoke again.

Abby laughed and nodded in agreement. "That's why your label is so popular Peyton, you're not trying to brainwash the world into being Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus fans."

Peyton and Haley both laughed.

The happy moment was interrupted though when a man came bursting into the hospital looking like he had just traveled for hours to get here.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Can I help you Sir?" The nurse at the station asked as the man who could pass for Dennis Quaid approached her. He was a little grey in the temples and wore a business suit with his tie loose around his neck.

"Who is that guy?" Haley wondered noting that the man looked familiar but she couldn't seem to place where she had seen him before today.

"I've only ever seen pictures of him but I think that's Brooke's Dad, Richard Davis." Peyton answered with an expression of surprise. Next to Victoria he was the last person she expected to see here.

"Where's my daughter?" Richard asked quickly as he ran a tired hand through his hair.

"What's her name Sir? I'll see if she is in the system and where you can find her." The nurse offered ready to type in the information he gave her.

"Brooke Penelope-"

"Gibbs."

"Uh-oh." Abby whispered grabbing for McGee's hand subconsciously. The mixed group of friends that were either here for Tony or Brooke had stopped talking and started watching since Richard set foot in the building.

Gibbs stood behind the man who raised Brooke with Samantha just behind him by no more than a couple of feet.

The nurse could sense that there was going to be another problem and moved away from her computer to keep herself busy with something else. The last thing she wanted was to get in the middle of it.

Richard turned away from the desk to face the man who corrected him before he had a chance to finish saying Brooke's name.

"Wow, talk about your hot dad fantasies." Peyton murmured to Haley who got a look of shock on her face.

"Peyton!" She couldn't help but giggle though and shook her head as she returned her attention to the situation that was playing out.

Richard cocked an eyebrow at Gibbs as he crossed his arms over his chest. Gibbs looked back at him with one of his eyes slowly turning black and blue from the earlier fight.

Samantha shifted her weight from one foot to the other showing clear discomfort at the sight of Richard Davis who had been the other man while Gibbs was still married to Victoria.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here." Gibbs growled taking a step closer to Richard. The bad blood between them was bound to get worse.

"Watch your step Jethro." Samantha warned as she too stepped forward although, her motives were not to intimidate Richard. She was more concerned with what Gibbs was going to do to the man.

"Brooke is my daughter Gibbs. I have every right to be here to make sure she's safe." Richard replied. It was obvious that Victoria failed to mention to him that his words were untrue. Either that or the man was in denial.

"From what I understand you haven't been around much her entire life, you suddenly decide that now she's important to you?" Gibbs challenged.

Richard uncrossed his arms letting them fall to his sides and took a step closer in return ending up with just barely a foot of space between him and Gibbs. "You listen to me Gunny my lack of time with her is none of your damn business. It was never easy to be away from my girls but I did what I had to. You should know a little something about that."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him and his jaw tightened with the verbal blow. "You are nothing like me, for one thing I never abandoned my family for personal gain and I knew how to keep my hands off another man's wife."

Richard chuckled darkly. "Yeah, well you shouldn't blame me for that. Victoria is a woman who knows what she wants, maybe if you knew how to satisfy her we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

Gibbs was about to react by popping Richard in the mouth until Samantha slipped between them and pushed the two men away from each other by placing her hands on their chests.

"Stop it." She turned to Gibbs. "One fight a day is more than enough." She looked at Richard keeping her arms outstretched to distance both men.

"You're looking good Sam." Richard smirked.

"Thanks, but you were never my type Richard." Samantha laughed at the mere thought as she lowered her arms but remained between him and Gibbs.

"Right, forgot that you prefer your sister's leftovers." Richard replied with a glint in his eye.

Samantha's hands curled into fists but she didn't want to sink to his level by reacting negatively. She was standing close enough to Gibbs to feel his body stiffen.

They both hated Richard with a burning passion. However with Brooke in the picture now and knowing what they now knew about her there was a chance that this would not be the last they saw of him.

"How did you know to come down here?" Samantha asked through clenched teeth. "Brooke is not a minor."

"She's still my daughter, got a call from the source that I should come down here. I was in the area anyway on business." Richard answered.

"Brooke called you?" Gibbs questioned in disbelief.

"That's what I said, along with her friends over there." Richard nodded toward the group recognizing Peyton. He'd seen her once or twice with his daughter over the years although they never shared a conversation before.

Gibbs looked over his shoulder and sighed. He turned back and shook his head. "There is something you really need to hear about Brooke."

"What could you possibly know about her that I don't Gunny?" Richard wondered raising his eyebrow again.

"You mean other than everything?" Samantha scoffed.

"I know plenty about my daughter." Richard answered.

"Not nearly as much as you think you do." Gibbs spoke firmly.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You should ask her Rich." Samantha answered before Gibbs had the chance. She nodded as her eyes moved to look over his shoulder.

Richard turned once he saw where her eyes were going and found Brookes standing in front of the ICU doors with a look of overwhelming surprise on her young face.

"I didn't think you'd show," She bit her lip and hesitated on her next word. "Dad." Brooke moved toward the three who stood in the middle of the waiting room.

Gibbs couldn't help but feel his heart sink and his stomach turn at the sound of Brooke referring to Richard as her father. In a sense he was but then there was the fact that he neglected her most of her life.

"You called Brooke." Richard replied with a simple shrug as if that would suffice.

Brooke let out a long breath that she appeared to have been holding for some time. "Is that why you're here or is it more to do with the fact that you were in DC anyway?" She asked harshly.

Gibbs had to bite his tongue to keep from smirking. He wondered if she was going to tell Richard the truth.

"Brooke-"

"Save it, I'm just glad you're here so I can tell you to your face that you're not my Dad…not that you ever tried to be." Brooke said angrily as her arms crossed. "Mom left me a little something this morning at my house. Turn around and take a look at my real father."

Richard looked confused at first until Brooke gave him the order to look around. When he did and realized what she meant when he looked at Gibbs his eyes turned cold. He said nothing and pushed past the agent on his way out of the hospital.

Brooke watched as he left then ran a hand through her dark hair. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over but she refused to let them. Richard was never much of a father to her but it still hurt to see him walk away like that considering the fact that he was the only father she had until today.

Gibbs had stood there watching it all go down and felt his heart break at the sight of his child under this sort of stress. He simply walked toward her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder using the other to lift her chin up making her look at him.

"Don't waste your tears on him." He advised.

Brooke swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She took a second to catch her breath and dried her eyes. "Tony's asking for you." She whispered.


	8. Last Request

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 8

Last Request

"How is he doing?" Gibbs asked Brooke softly. It seemed that if Tony was waking up and requesting his boss then the head trauma the doctor mentioned earlier couldn't be that bad. At least Tony still had his memory.

"Fading in and out, seems pretty lucid while he is awake though." Brooke answered honestly. Over Gibbs' shoulder she could see Samantha and beyond that her friends sat waiting. "I think he wanted to talk to you alone."

Gibbs nodded and placed a gentle kiss to the top of Brooke's head. "Go on." He said softly nodding toward the waiting area.

Brooke forced a smile and stepped away from Gibbs and walked over to the group who sat in the waiting area. Peyton was the first to come forward and hugged Brooke tightly.

They each took turns greeting her and Gibbs watched as McGee introduced himself properly and Abby hugged her like they had been friends for a lifetime.

Gibbs had a bittersweet feeling as he observed all of this. He hated missing out, not knowing who these friends were other than by name not including Abby and McGee of course. It pained him to know that he had not watched her grow up but at the same time he felt relieved to have finally found out he had a chance to make things right.

"Jethro." Samantha captured his attention softly and he turned to look at her. "Do you want me to call the director and get Ducky here?"

Gibbs took a deep breath, held it for a moment then released it slowly. It still felt so unreal that Ziva was gone. He knew what had to be done now but at this moment he did not want to deal with Vance. Besides Eli David would likely want to give him an earful and that was the last thing he needed right now.

"Yeah, take care of that for me and talk to Werth, let him know he should find a good lawyer. After this stunt he's not getting off as easy as the last time." Gibbs answered.

"You don't want Abby to check the toxicology report?" She asked carefully.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Samantha and looked around for a moment. He took her by the wrist and dragged her into a vacant room closing the door before he pushed her against it. In doing so he might have used a little more force than necessary but she didn't show any evidence of that.

Instead Samantha stared at him remaining expressionless. She waited patiently to hear what he had to say. She noticed that he was breathing heavily and glaring at her.

"Whose side are you on?" He growled, hands firmly grasping her shoulders as he looked down into her emerald eyes.

"Jethro…" Samantha's tone was thick with warning and he took a step back. She did not need to continue for him to get the message.

"You have got to stop thinking like a lawyer Sam, Ziva is dead and that…that kid is responsible!"

"I have news for you Jethro I am a lawyer and you need to prove that Ziva's death was caused by Damon being intoxicated behind the wheel. You can't rely on your damn gut for everything, it doesn't work that way." She snapped.

"Abby barely wanted to help him the last time, do you think she's going to want to double check everything now that Ziva is on a slab?" Gibbs had approached Samantha again and hit the wall behind her head to emphasize the fact that he was upset with her.

"You know damn well that for justice to be served we have to follow the same protocol as always." Sam replied without so much as a flinch, she was no stranger to his angry streak.

"I'm not going to fall for some lame ass excuse about him being drugged by an unknown source." Gibbs growled. "That may have been the case last time but twice now, what are the odds of that happening?"

Samantha shook her head and sighed heavily. "Look, I don't want to get into this now. Just do your damn job and investigate this and don't cut any corners. I'll do mine and talk to the Corporal, you can call me once you figure out where your head is at."

The average height brunette turned and opened the door to leave the room in search of the Marine she needed to speak to.

Gibbs grabbed hold of her arm again though and pulled her back in gently before she could leave. "Take McGee with you if you're going to talk to him now, please."

Samantha looked up at him seeing that he was most concerned with her safety than anything else and she nodded. "Okay, I will." She turned to leave again and once more he pulled her back.

"Wait."

"What?" She sighed getting frustrated with this game. Then she saw the sad, tired look in his eyes and bit her lip.

Gibbs pressed her against the door a second time with his arms wrapping around her small frame. Samantha closed her eyes as his breath hit her neck and she knew there was just no staying angry with him when he became needy.

"Jethro…" She trailed off losing her train of thought almost immediately as he kissed up her neck to her ear and held her tightly against him. Her arms wrapped around him in return, one hand reaching up to rest against the back of his neck.

Once he reached her ear Gibbs paused and sighed softly. It was a content sound that he made as he breathed in the scent of her strawberry shampoo mixed in with the subtle vanilla of her perfume.

"Come by the house later, once this mess is cleared up." He requested in a whisper sending a shiver down her spine. There was no way she could deny him when he spoke to her like that.

"This will probably take all night Jethro but you know I'll be there." She promised in the same hushed tones.

"Good." Gibbs mumbled into her neck. He gave her earlobe a gentle tug with his teeth before he released her with a kiss to the cheek and opened the door.

They left the room together but he went toward Tony's room while she went in the other direction toward Brooke, McGee, Abby and the others.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs paused in the hallway before reaching Tony's door. He wondered to himself if Brooke told the Senior Field Agent of his partner's demise. Gibbs closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall and sighed.

First Shannon and Kelly were killed then Kate and Paula, Jenny and Lee. Now Ziva was gone, Gibbs was starting to wonder if he was cursed. Every woman that had been important to him one way or another was gone. The only ones left standing now were Brooke, Abby, and Samantha.

Losing Ziva was adding salt to the many wounds but he needed to be the strong one. Now was not the time to fall apart at the loss of another person whom he considered to be family.

Gibbs took a deep breath and blinked away his tears as he straightened and in one fluid motion he entered DiNozzo's room to find the younger man slowly coming back into consciousness. Tony blinked as he heard someone enter his room and he grunted as he sat up as best he could.

"Hey Boss." Tony greeted groggily.

"Anthony." Gibbs calmly walked further into the room after shutting the door behind him and went to sit in the chair by the bed.

It was far from easy to see Tony looking like such a mess. His brown hair was sticking out in all directions much like it did in Somalia when they were on the rescue mission to save Ziva. There was a bandage at his hairline covering up the number of stitches that held together a deep, nasty cut.

The agent had the darkest of circles under his eyes and his skin was paler than ever. And that was just the outer damage to his upper body. Below the blankets and hospital issue pajamas Tony's body was at its weakest point in his life.

Tony's lower half had so much nerve damage from having glass embedded in his abdomen to having his legs trapped under the steering wheel. If he was lucky he'd be able to walk again someday. Until then he would be limited to a wheelchair once his stay in the hospital was over.

"I feel better than I look Boss." Tony tried to smile but it was evident that his heart wasn't in it. It barely registered on his features and it was even further from showing up in his eyes.

"Any truth to that?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"No Boss, not at all." Tony sighed. He felt exhausted but wanted to be awake just to keep from seeing it happen over and over again in his dreams. "Gibbs I'm so-"

"Not your fault DiNozzo." Gibbs knew what his agent was going to say. He didn't want to hear it. There were a number of things he would fault Tony for like not focusing at work or making his crude jokes at inappropriate times but never for something like this.

"I was distracted Boss, never saw it coming." Tony couldn't bring himself to look at his superior no more than he could bring himself to admit that he was flirting with Brooke seconds before impact.

"DiNozzo-"

"You want to know something funny boss. Before we started driving back we argued about who was going to drive….I told her….Boss…I told her that the last thing I wanted was to be injured or on the way to autopsy…talk about your irony." Tony seemed to be on the verge of tears and the more he spoke the more difficult it became to hold it all together.

"Tony…" Gibbs tried to come up with something comforting to say but silence sounded better than anything he could muster.

"What's going to happen now, Boss?" Tony wondered.

Gibbs shrugged with a sad sigh escaping him. "I don't know." He whispered. He hated to admit that but there was no other way to answer.

"Do you know what her last request was?"

"No, but I intend to find out."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"McGee." Samantha strode toward the group where they were all seated and the young agent looked up when she addressed him. "I need you to come with me to talk to The Hulk."

McGee's eyes went wide at the suggestion. "Me, are you kidding?"

"You're not afraid of him are you?" Sam asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Ask me a more complicated question." McGee sighed as he got to his feet.

"You're the one with a gun." Samantha remarked. "Where'd he go anyway?"

"I saw him head toward the cafeteria earlier." Nathan answered.

"Thanks." Samantha turned and McGee followed as she headed down another hallway and around the corner.

"Abby, who is she?" Brooke asked curiously as she watched the two depart. She had been resting her head on Peyton's shoulder since sitting down with them.

Nathan and Haley were next to each other on Brooke's other side and Lucas was sitting with his brother and sister in law. They were all equally wondering about the woman Brooke asked about looking at Abby for the answer.

"That is Samantha Mackenzie Fielding. She's a lawyer and a friend, she um…well it's not really my place to say." Abby replied.

"Is she involved with my Dad?" Brooke asked. It didn't feel awkward anymore to call Gibbs her father. It felt right especially after what just happened with Richard.

"In more ways than one and they think the rest of us don't know that they're…together but it's obvious." The Goth told her.

"What exactly do you mean by more ways than one?" Haley asked intrigue clearly showing in chocolate colored her eyes.

Abby bit her darkly painted lip and looked down for a minute. She wasn't sure of what to say. This was all Gibbs' personal business and he had kept it even from her for many years. It didn't feel right to tell a bunch of strangers let alone Brooke the whole story.

"Gibbs will kill me if I say anything." Abby finally said softly.

"He can't be that bad." Lucas muttered.

"Don't bet on it. I've never met a more complex man." An accented voice came from behind Lucas and Abby jumped to her feet.

"Ducky." She moved toward him and hugged him tightly.

"Ducky?" Nathan raised an eyebrow at the man's name.

"Doctor Donald Mallard, Ducky is just a nickname that stuck." The medical examiner replied with a friendly smile.

Brooke sat up straight and looked at the doctor. "Doctor, I'm Brooke Davis. I was in the car with Agent David and DiNozzo." She said as she stood and extended a hand toward him.

Ducky's expression became sympathetic as he shook Brooke's hand. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he had introduced her mother to Gibbs over twenty years ago.

"You can just call me Ducky dear." Ducky replied gently. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

Brooke sighed and she shrugged in answer to his question. "I guess I'm alright…considering. I'm more worried about Tony. I'll be fine."

"You are a brave young woman." Ducky observed.

Brooke shrugged and sighed as she shook her head. "To tell you the truth Ducky I've never been more scared in my life." She admitted.

"Duck." Gibbs walked toward the medical examiner after having left Tony's room. He moved to stand beside Brooke. "You got her faster than I expected."

Ducky nodded as he looked up at the team leader. "Yes, well when I heard what happened I left autopsy straight away. Mr. Palmer can handle the paperwork from our latest case on his own."

"Autopsy," Brooke asked as she felt her stomach turn. "You're a medical examiner."

"One of the best." Abby interjected with a half smile.

"I'm here to collect Ziva and bring her back to find out the exact cause of death." Ducky answered Brooke.

"Oh." Brooke had paled somewhat at the idea of Ducky cutting up the Israeli. She didn't think an autopsy would be needed for death by windshield but she bit her tongue.

"When I left headquarters Jethro, Director Vance was getting ready to contact Director David about Ziva." Ducky announced.

"Great." Gibbs replied sarcastically. He knew it was only a matter of time before he got verbally ripped to shreds now. "It's getting late Duck, take Ziva back to HQ, go home and get some rest. Take care of her in the morning."

"What are you going to do surely you're not going to stay here all night?" Ducky spoke with concern.

"As much as I'd like to Duck I have a few things I need to do. Tony's out again, probably will be for the rest of the night. I'm useless here right now." Gibbs replied.

"I trust Samantha is speaking with Corporal Werth?" Ducky inquired.

"Yeah, McGee is with her." Abby answered.

Ducky nodded then sighed as he saw a doctor pass them. "Very well, I'll see to Agent David now. It was a pleasure to meet you dear, despite the circumstances." He told the brunette in front of him.

Brooke tried a smile though it didn't register and she nodded at Ducky. "It was nice to meet you too." She replied softly.

Ducky walked off to speak to the doctor and Gibbs turned to Brooke's friends. "Your support is appreciated I'm sure but I think the hospital would frown on a bunch of non family members hanging around after visiting hours."

"Well with all due respect Sir, we're here for Brooke. If she wants us to leave that's her call." Nate piped up as he rose to his feet.

Gibbs moved closer to the young man with a smirk. For a moment Abby thought he was going to head slap the NBA player but instead he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Tony would like you and don't call me Sir."

Nathan chuckled. "So I've been told." He nodded toward Abby.

Brooke smiled a bit and stepped toward Nate and looked at all of her friends. "You guys should go I think I'll be alright now."

"You'll call if you need anything right?" Haley asked as she got up and pulled Brooke into an 'Abby-style' hug immediately upon doing so.

"Yeah Hales, of course I will." Brooke replied as he hugged her best friend back.

Haley stepped back after a moment satisfied with Brooke's answer. Peyton hugged the brunette next and from there the boys did the same.

"We'll see you at home." Nathan told her as he pulled back, the last one to embrace her.

"Tell my godson I love him."

Nathan nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Stay out of trouble Brooke Davis." He turned to Gibbs and shook his hand as the girls said goodbye to Abby and made plans to visit sometime.

Brooke watched her friends leave then sighed softly. Gibbs put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.

Abby smiled at them both, she already liked Brooke a lot. "You need a place to stay tonight?" She asked gently in her gravelly voice.

Brooke looked up at her Dad then back to Abby and shrugged slightly. "I was going to call a cab and stay at the nearest hotel." She answered softly.

"I've got plenty of room for you at my house." Gibbs told her. He didn't want her staying at some hotel all on her own after all this.

Brooke bit her lip with the offer. She really didn't know how to respond, she did want to get to know her Dad and staying with him seemed like a good idea but there was one little problem.

"Um…I don't have any clothes with me, just this." She looked down at the scrubs she had been given by the hospital to wear to replace the bloodied clothes she had arrived in.

Gibbs looked up just in time to see Samantha walking back into the area with McGee at her heels. He smirked at her as she approached and she nodded back.

"I keep an extra bag of clothes in the back of my car just in case, you're more than welcome to it since this is an appropriate situation." Samantha told her, she had heard what was being said just seconds ago and Brooke turned to her.

"Thanks." She replied with a small smile.

Gibbs gave Samantha a thankful look and reached into his pocket for a set of keys. "McGee." He nodded at the agent and tossed them to him. "Take Abby home, both of you need to get some rest. We'll deal with the rest of this tomorrow."

McGee caught and pocketed the keys. Abby smiled and without hesitation moved forward to give Brooke a bone crushing hug. "Good night Giblet."

Brooke got a confused look on her face with the nickname but she shrugged it off and returned Abby's hug. After the Goth pulled back Brooke smiled at McGee and he awkwardly shook her hand.

Abby and McGee left with one another to go home and Gibbs turned to Brooke once more. "We need to make a stop first, that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Where do we have to go?" She asked looking from him to Sam and back.

Gibbs took a deep breath and looked down for a moment as Samantha grabbed her keys from her briefcase. "Ziva's apartment, won't take long." Gibbs answered.

Brooke swallowed and said nothing but she nodded to let Gibbs know that she was alright with that decision.

"Let's get this over with." Samantha sighed as she led the way out of the hospital to where her Ferrari was parked.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Brooke Davis never thought she would hesitate before getting into a vehicle until it finally happened. As Gibbs held the door open for her she froze. She could feel his eyes studying her but she did not make eye contact. She stared at the empty front seat for a moment then took a sharp intake of breath as the memory of the accident hit her full force.

"Brooke, you okay?" Gibbs asked her placing a hand on her shoulder.

The twenty three year old looked up at the silver haired agent and shook her head as she took a step back edging closer to the back door.

"I think I'll just sit in the back." Brooke replied quickly. Without giving Gibbs a chance to respond in any way she opened the door she was closest to and slipped inside the car.

Gibbs sighed heavily then got into the car. He hated the idea of his daughter being afraid of getting into a car.

Samantha started the engine once the three of them were settled in the red car. The vehicle came to life the second she turned the key.

They rode along in silence, not even the radio was on but it did not take long for her to pull up in front of Ziva's building. She turned off the engine and got out of the car stepping around to the curb to wait for Gibbs and Brooke to exit as well.

Gibbs got inside the building by buzzing the superintendent and flashing his badge. He told the balding man with glasses that he had a key to Ziva's place but he was being less than truthful. He just wanted the guy out of his way.

Brooke and Samantha followed Gibbs to the correct floor and once they reached the apartment door Gibbs began to fish through his pockets for something.

"I thought you had a key." Brooke said with wide eyes when she saw the wallet like locking picking kit in his hand.

Gibbs shrugged as he took a knee and began working on the lock to Ziva's apartment. "That was just a little white lie to get the superintendent out of my hair."

"Can you just do that?" Brooke wondered looking to Samantha for the answer.

"Trust me if we needed a warrant I wouldn't be letting him do it right now. Ziva's right to privacy died with her and we need to find out what her last request might have been. Technically we should be leaving this up to her family but-"

"Got it." Gibbs muttered cutting Samantha off.

He pushed the door open and let Samantha inside. Brooke hesitated before she followed her and looked around once they entered the space.

"What are we looking for Jethro?"Samantha prodded.

"I'll know when I find it." Gibbs replied as he wandered into the back where Ziva's bedroom was.

Samantha sighed and moved into the living room taking her coat off and slinging it over the back of the black leather lay-boy. "Hmm, that's more DiNozzo's style." She thought aloud to herself.

Brooke strode over to the mantel just above the stone fireplace and looked at the pictures that sat upon it in beautiful frames. So many snapshots of Ziva's past were there. Some were from her childhood and others more recent.

Samantha made her way over to the bookcase and began to look through the Israeli's collection of great literature from all over the world. The amount of American novels was surprising considering her problem with idioms and the many other languages she knew.

Brooke stepped away from the mantel with a sorrowful sigh and made her way over to the hallway of the apartment where there were more pictures. She was started to get a feel for the type of person Ziva David had been.

Samantha cocked her head to the side in wonder when her eyes stumbled upon something she never thought she'd see in Ziva's possession. It was a romance novel written in Hebrew.

"I'll be damned." She muttered to herself with a smile tugging at her lips.

"What is it?" Brooke wondered as she moved to stand beside Samantha who was reaching for the book and plucking it from its place on the shelf between Gone with the Wind and The Great Gatsby.

Samantha's eyes found Brooke's and she smiled at the younger woman. "Ziva was not exactly the most feminine person…I mean, she was beautiful and very fashion forward but attitude wise she was…basically a ninja. Comes from being raised as a warrior I suppose. It's just…odd to find a romance novel of all things in her collection."'

She sighed as she looked at all the books once again. "Ziva loved to read, can't say I blame her there is so much to discover in all these pages." Samantha spoke with admiration.

Brooke turned to look at the bookshelf as well. She paused when she saw a familiar binding and reached for it. She slid it out and smiled when she saw the cover. _"An Unkindness of Ravens." _

"Hey, didn't your friend write that?" Samantha asked as she looked at the book in Brooke's delicate hands.

"Yeah he did, he's actually my ex-boyfriend, first guy I ever fell in love with." Brooke reminisced. She wondered if Ziva had the chance to read it. The binding was slightly wrinkled which would suggest it had been read by someone if not her.

"So what happened?" Sam pondered.

Brooke looked up at her with eyes inherited for Gibbs and shrugged. "He broke my heart."

Samantha raised an eyebrow still clutching the Hebrew romance novel. "He's the guy that broke McGee's nose right, how can you stand to be around him?"

Brooke sighed and looked down at the book flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for and she began to read. "Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday and she doesn't even know it."

She closed the book and returned her gaze to Samantha's. "It's for reasons like that, he may have hurt me but he's a good person despite what happened. In the end strong friendships are what matters the most."

Samantha bit her lip as her brilliant green eyes misted over and she looked down at the book in her own hands. She absentmindedly began to flip the pages thinking about how many friends she had lost over the years that had been killed for one reason or another.

They were people she would never forget and Brooke made an excellent point. "You're absolutely right." She whispered without looking up.

Her hands ceased with flipping the pages when a folded up piece of paper captured her attention. She pulled it out from between the pages moving toward the coffee table where she set the book down. She unfolded the paper and bit her lip.

Brooke became curious and followed looking over her company's shoulder. "Is that it?"

Samantha cleared her throat as she nodded. "Yeah." She swallowed as she heard Gibbs return from the back of the apartment.

"Nothing." Gibbs announced gruffly.

"I beg to differ." Samantha turned to him and handed him what she found.

Gibbs took the paper and squinted in the dim lighting of the room as he attempted to read Ziva's tidy scroll. "Oh for heaven's sake Jethro, use your glasses." Samantha sighed.

"I can see fine Sam." Gibbs muttered although they both knew better but he refused to use the glasses. Besides he left them at the office anyway.

"What's it say?" Samantha asked struggling not to sound impatient.

Gibbs finally managed to make out what was written. "It's a request to be cremated, she wanted half scattered here and the rest in Tel Aviv. It was signed and dated…just after she became a citizen."

"Jethro…" Gibbs looked up as Samantha whispered his name. She nodded silently in the direction of the couch and they both smiled at the sight of Brooke fast asleep on the furniture.

"Come on, we found what we're looking for. Let's get out of here now." Samantha suggested.

Jethro nodded in agreement and handed her the handwritten request. She tucked it safely back into the book where she found it. Instead of placing the novel back on the shelf though she held onto it and picked up the copy of 'An Unkindness of Ravens' that Brooke had placed on the table.

Gibbs quietly moved toward the couch and gently picked Brooke up in his arms cradling her with care as he carried her.

Samantha opened the door to the apartment for him and let him walk out first then followed closely behind all the way out to the car. Gibbs placed Brooke in the back and Samantha drove them back to his place opening the front door once they arrived.

Gibbs carried his daughter inside placing her gently on the couch with a pillow Samantha grabbed from the closet. He covered Brooke with the Marine Corps blanket that sat on the back of the couch.

The agent sat on the coffee table and gently brushed a piece of dark hair from her eyes as a smile crept up on him as he watched her sleep.

"I think I should go home, you too will have a lot to talk about when she wakes up in the morning." Samantha whispered.

Gibbs removed his hand from stroking Brooke's hair as she slept and got to his feet. He was cautious as he stepped away from the couch and toward his lover not yet blessed with the knowledge of whether or not his child was a light sleeper.

Intense blue eyes met Samantha's emeralds as they stood between the entryway of the house and the living room. The stairs leading to the second floor were just a few feet away.

"I think you should stay." Gibbs whispered his response to Samantha as he inched closer and slowly closed the gap between them.

* * *

_**A/N: If you feel like there was not enough of the OTH company mingling with their NCIS couterparts in this chapter don't fret. You have NOT seen the last of them in this fic. It is a crossover afterall. Brooke will not be the only character I plan to use for this. Please read and review. P.S. What do you think of Samantha?**_


	9. It's all in my head

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 9

It's all in my head

Ducky entered Autopsy early the next morning after getting some sleep in the smaller home he downsized to after his mother's recent passing. It was difficult to sleep knowing that Ziva was gone but eventually he grew tired enough to get a few hours rest before rising while the sun was still down and getting ready for the dreadful day to come.

As he stepped into the temperature controlled room Ducky removed his long trench coat and hung it on the old fashioned coat rack by the entrance along with his hat. There was a thunderstorm out there today and it seemed oddly appropriate that the weather be as melancholy as the team was likely to be.

The Medical Examiner was well dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark blue shirt paired with red suspenders and a matching bowtie even though he would be changing into scrubs before the start of Ziva's autopsy.

Ducky felt as though there was a cloud over the whole of NCIS including himself. He felt this way when Caitlin Todd had been murdered by Ziva's half brother Ari. He was not looking forward to opening Ziva up but there was no other way to tell if her death was by accident or not if he didn't perform his duties.

The elderly Scotsman strode over to the desk not far from the doorway and flicked on the small lap. He wouldn't need the full ceiling lighting until a little later. Ducky's next move was to turn on his computer but the sound of a sniffling nose startled the man.

Ducky went rigid and stood to his full height looking in the direction of the soft sound that alerted him. In the shadows at the far end of the room Ducky could see a figure standing there alone with the drawer Ziva had been placed in open and she was pulled out to be looked at.

From where he was standing Ducky could not tell who the person was but he knew that there was a female in his presence.

"Abigail?" Ducky spoke gently but he sounded unsure of his own guess. The silhouette visibly shook her head and pushed Ziva back into the darkness of the cooler then gently closed the door.

"No Ducky, it's me." A pair of heels clicked on the hard floor as she walked the slight distance from the coolers to where Ducky could see her in the light.

Samantha stepped into the glow of the desk lamp and it was clear that she had been crying, emerald eyes were full of tears and red from sadness. Though her dark hair was well maintained the rest of her seemed a bit of a mess. Normally in a suit the lawyer looked more casual than the doctor was used to. This led Ducky to believe she had not spent the night at home since she was normally all business at the agency.

The sleeves of Samantha's plum, white and grey colored argyle sweater were pulled down to cover her hands. She either had been using the clothing to dry her eyes or keep her delicate hands warm. She also wore grey pants and black heeled boots, functional for the rain and work. Ducky began to wonder how long she had been there if she was here before him. He was confident in believing no one else had arrived yet.

"Samantha dear, what are you doing here so early in the morning? You should be getting some rest." Ducky sounded concerned for the woman and ultimately wondered if she was alright or would be.

"I was just um…paying my respects." Samantha mumbled under her breath. She looked at her feet and appeared to be fidgeting out of his comfort.

Ducky sighed and took a step forward gently placing his hands on her shoulders. Samantha was quite short even in her heels and Ducky was able to meet her eye to eye when she wore them. It was different from when he consoled Abby who often dwarfed him with or without her massive platforms. This moment with Samantha was much less awkward.

With knowing eyes Ducky looked into Samantha's in a comforting manner. The losses that everyone in the agency endured were heavy but she always seemed to take them the hardest. It was easier for the agents to move forward, they were used to the lifestyle of their colleagues dying as awful as it may be. For the lawyer, the forensic specialist, and even the medical examiner it was different.

"I'm really going to miss her Ducky. I just wish I had the chance to tell her how much she meant to all of us. Now I'm supposed to represent Damon Werth and I don't think I can." Samantha sobbed.

Ducky gave a silent look of sympathy to the defense lawyer and sighed with no knowledge of what to say to comfort her. Just as he was about to pull her into a warm embrace she pulled away quickly and turned her back to him.

As she did this Gibbs walked straight into Autopsy answering Ducky's unasked question about why Samantha turned away so suddenly. Ducky turned his attention to Gibbs although the team leader stared at the back of Samantha's head in concern at the sight of her shoulders trembling.

"Jethro, where is Brooke this morning?" Ducky wondered noticing that Gibbs' daughter was nowhere in sight.

"Hospital, visiting DiNozzo and keeping him company, she insisted." Gibbs answered quietly. His eyes never left Samantha. She left in such a rush this morning after she was on the phone with someone she only identified as a client.

"I'll…give you two a moment while I prepare for my work." Ducky sensed that there was something the others in his presence needed to discuss. The Medical Examiner made his way to the steel door beside his desk and disappeared to another room where he normally changed into his scrubs.

Even though Ducky had left Samantha remained with her back to the Autopsy entrance which Gibbs still stood by. She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her back but she couldn't bring herself to give in and turn around.

"Sam, you want to tell me why you left so quickly this morning?" Gibbs broke the silence first and stepped closer to his secret lover. He couldn't help but get the feeling that she was about to lie to him as he placed his hands on both her shoulders.

"I didn't want Brooke to find out about us so soon. No one else knows we're sleeping together and I don't want to risk being found out just yet and I know you feel the same." Samantha lied through her teeth just like he thought she would. It may not have been a complete lie but it wasn't the whole truth that's for sure.

Gibbs sighed and gently began to knead Samantha's shoulders from where he stood behind her. "Maybe it's time we stop sneaking around and let everyone figure it out." He replied. Part of him knew that the team was probably already savvy to their secret but he simply denied that fact just wanting to keep his private life just as it was called.

The words from Gibbs made Samantha turn around which was exactly what he intended to make her do. It was a trick but also an honest suggestion all the same. "Are you serious?" Samantha asked in disbelief.

Gibbs gave her a small smile and brought a hand up to caress her cheek and chased away her tears with his thumb. He knew they were being shed for Ziva but something told him that was not the only reason. Gibbs nodded in answer to the brunette's question and sighed softly.

"Yeah, we've been together awhile now Sam and I know we agreed that keeping our professional lives and private lives separate was a good idea but things change." He answered still wearing that half smile. He moved his hand from her face and into her hair brushing it out of her beautiful eyes.

"I don't think you're going to feel that way once we start working this case." Samantha replied sadly. She placed her hands on Gibbs' chest and pushed away from him taking a few steps back. She remained facing him but looked down.

Gibbs wondered if this was how she was going to tell him the rest of the reason why she left this morning the way she had. He stayed where she left him with his hands dropping to his sides. "What makes you say that?"

Samantha forced herself to look up at him and into his eyes as hers filled with tears once again. "As of this morning I've been assigned as Damon Werth's defense attorney." Sam blurted out.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Brooke Davis sat in the hospital room in a chair beside the bed where Tony DiNozzo was sleeping soundly. The young woman was wrapped up in a tee shirt and a pair of jeans owned by Samantha along with a red Marine Corps sweatshirt borrowed from Gibbs.

When Brooke woke up not too long ago she had no idea where she was at first until Gibbs came up from what she guessed was the basement to make coffee. She didn't know how she ended up in his house and she didn't ask. She was grateful to have him taking care of her. It was becoming a bonding experience. Gibbs graciously allowed her to use the shower and make herself comfortable in his home.

It was not until Gibbs announced to her over breakfast that he needed to work that Brooke requested politely that she sit with Tony. That was how she ended up here sitting next to the injured Senior Field Agent.

Currently Brooke was glancing out the window as a flash of lighting split up the darkened sky. The Capitol Building was in the distance, she still couldn't believe she was in DC or that everything that happened yesterday wasn't just a dream.

The twenty three year old sighed as she looked away from the window and to the newspaper in her lap. On the front page in bold letters her name stood out. **'Former CEO of Clothes over Bro's Brooke Penelope Davis involved in fatal crash.'** She could only hope Victoria didn't know about this and that Gibbs was too busy to see it as well.

Brooke set the newspaper which she found by the bed back in its original place on the table beside the bed. She didn't feel like reading any gossip the media had to offer especially if it involved her. She turned her attention to Tony was breathing softly and evenly on his own. She was relieved that he made it through the night. The doctor assured her it should be smooth sailing from this point forward.

The fashion designer sat up placing her feet which were slung over an arm of the chair on the floor. She leaned forward and took hold of Tony's hand with her smaller, uninjured one. In his sleep Tony responded by losing his fingers around hers.

A small smile appeared on Brooke's full lips with the way Tony naturally reacted to her gentle touch. Taking in a deep breath Brooke stood without letting her hand slip away from his. She moved closer to the bed and perched herself on the edge of it cautiously so she did not disturb him.

Next Brooke raised the hand that bore a cast and brought her fingertips to where his hair was falling into his eyes and carefully brushed the stray strands away. In an instant Tony turned into the source of the touch and sighed contently in his sleep.

For a moment Brooke worried that she had awakened him but when she saw that it was a false alarm she smiled a little more and did her best to caress his cheek with the tips of her fingers. After a few minutes Brooke became daring once again and pulled her body onto the bed the rest of the way. She gently rested her head on Tony's shoulder then placed her good arm around his torso making sure the other was nestled safely between them and safe from further harm.

Brooke settled there against Tony's side where she listened to his steady heartbeat and even breathing. She remained awake but closed her eyes as she waited quietly for him to wake so they could get to know one another.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

McGee woke up with a sore back on the couch in Abby's apartment covered by a blanket with his shoes missing. The agent sat up and rubbed his eyes as he did. The sound of running water came from the back of the place making him realize that Abby must be taking a shower. Not a stranger to staying at her apartment McGee stood and stretched before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

As the door to the appliance closed McGee caught sight of a picture on the freezer door of Abby and Ziva. He sighed heavily as he began to choke up and turned away from the fridge. Instead he leaned against the counter and drank from the bottle of water until he heard the water being turned off.

McGee made his way down the hall to knock on the door gently. "Abs, you okay?" He asked.

"Fine McGee, I'll be out in a minute." Abby replied, it was obvious from the way her voice shook that she had been crying but McGee said nothing and headed back into the living room where he sat on the couch to wait.

An hour later McGee and Abby entered the evidence garage together in their red NCIS issued jumpsuits. Parked in the garage and taking up most of the space was the big rig truck that Damon Werth had been driving.

Toward the front of the truck the Charger that belonged to the agency was set up ready and waiting to be processed. It had been another team who handled the crime scene but everything including the vehicles and what was inside them were to be turned over to the team who lost a fellow member and friend.

Abby and McGee had barely said two words to each other upon leaving her apartment and heading in to work. Together they took in the damage that had been done to the Charger. The amount of blood on the shattered windshield brought tears to Abby's eyes as well as McGee's though he fought harder to hide it than she.

The car resembled a crushed soda can more than a vehicle at this point. It was a miracle that Tony and Brooke survived this. Especially Brooke since most of the damage was done to her side of the car. It was a wonder that Tony ended up in a hospital bed but the daughter of Gibbs only had a broken arm and a few scratches.

Slowly Abby approached the car circling it to see where she should start. McGee sighed as he walked over to the truck pulling on a pair of rubber gloves on the way over to it. There was a large dent in the front of the vehicle where the car was hit but not much damage beyond that.

While Abby found a way into the car to investigate and get samples McGee climbed up into the truck on the driver's side with a few evidence bags in hand in case they were needed. Together they both worked in silence collecting evidence.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs stood there staring at Samantha in a way that made her uncomfortable to be in his presence. She had never been scared of a reaction from him before until now. Especially since it involved her being the one he was angry with.

"Would you please say something?" Samantha asked although she regretted it the second the words came out of her mouth.

"What did you and Werth talk about yesterday in the hospital?" Gibbs demanded.

Samantha shook her head as she looked at Gibbs and sighed. "You know I can't talk about that, client confidentiality." She answered.

"He wasn't your client at the time Sam." Gibbs growled.

Samantha sighed and rolled her eyes at Gibbs. "Alright fine, he told me he didn't take any drugs, that he's been clean since that incident when we met him." She explained without giving much detail.

"You honestly believe that?" Gibbs asked not understanding how she could do this to Ziva, someone she had been friends with.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do and I'm going to prove that he's innocent with or without your help." Samantha answered as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
Gibbs scoffed at the suggestion that he help her out with this when he strongly believed that Werth was to blame in all of this. "You're on your own with this one and I think the others will agree."

Gibbs turned and briskly walked out of the autopsy suite. He couldn't even look at Samantha now after hearing what she had to say. It was as if Ziva's death didn't matter to her even if that wasn't actually the case Gibbs felt betrayed on the Israeli's behalf. As Gibbs headed for the elevator he wondered who would be taking Ziva's side if this went to trial.

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and again don't worry the Tree Hill clan will be making their way back into this story soon enough. In this chapter I wanted to establish a little bit of the plot. Please don't hate on Samantha just yet. I promise you won't be disappointed for liking her if you do. As for her opponent for the trial well...let's just say there is a connection between the lawyer and Tony.**


	10. Unsaid

NCIS

Thicker than water

Chapter 10

Unsaid

_Three Days Later_

"You don't seem quite as relieved as I thought you would be." Samantha spoke to her client while they sat across from one another at a table in a bar that was popular amongst her colleagues.

Damon Werth sighed heavily as he lowered the beer bottle he had just taken a sip from. "I am relieved…but that doesn't mean I feel any less guilty. Cleared of any charges or not Ziva is still dead because of me."

Samantha bit her lip and fell silent as she looked out the window next to their booth. "Well regardless of that fact it's a good thing Abby double checked the toxic analysis and realized your results were confused for someone else's."

Damon nodded quietly and slowly stretched his legs making sure he didn't kick her by accident. "Somehow I think Agent Gibbs will still find a reason to blame me for this."

The mentioning of the team leader made the lawyer stiffen and appear uncomfortable. "Don't worry about him Corporal. Ziva's death was accidental. There is nothing that suggests otherwise." Samantha replied.

Damon nodded a second time then opted for a subject change. "So…anything going on between you and Gibbs?"

Samantha raised an eyebrow in response. "What would give you that idea?"

"Sam," Damon paused to chuckle. "You let him punch me in the face at the hospital."

Samantha shook her head then ran a hand through her chestnut tresses. "About that, I'm sorry. As for my relationship with Gibbs, if you could call it that, it's over now."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Dad, are you home?" Brooke called out for Gibbs after entering the house. She had made her way to Tree Hill for the weekend to celebrate Jamie's birthday and also gathered some belongings in order to stay with Gibbs for a little while.

The older man smiled from where he stood in the basement working on his boat. Hearing Brooke refer to him as her father was heartwarming to say the least. It felt right and less awkward than he expected especially in light of everything that happened just a few days ago.

"Down here!" Gibbs called up the stairs. A moment passed during which he heard the clicking of high heels on the floorboards overhead.

As Brooke walked down the steps her mouth fell open at the sight of the half finished sailboat. It was her first time seeing the structure.

"Wow, Jamie would love this." She said softly as she walked toward Gibbs.

"Jamie?" Gibbs asked with raised eyebrows after kissing her cheek.

"Oh, Jamie is my godson. He's Nathan and Haley's little boy." Brooke explained. "We just celebrated his birthday." While she spoke she showed Gibbs a picture of the child on her phone.

Gibbs couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Nice looking kid."

"Most certainly is." Brooke agreed, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

"So how do you get something like this out of here after-"

Before Brooke had a chance to finish the thought Abby came running down the stairs. Neither of the other two had even heard her enter the house which was surprising considering the clunky platforms she was wearing.

"You two are never going to believe this." The Goth appeared to have a magazine in her hand and she was a bit short of breath.

"What?" Gibbs and Brooke asked at the same time.

"You two really are related." Abby giggled.

The other two glared slightly only making her point. Abby smirked knowingly but continued after the moment passed.

"See for yourselves." She instructed as she held up the celebrity gossip tabloid closely resembling 'People'.

On the cover of the glossy magazine was a picture of Brooke from when she most recently walked the red carpet. In bold letters the headline read:

'**Brooke Davis, who's your Daddy?'**

Below that were a few bullets of additional information, the details of which could be found within the magazine.

**-Family Drama**

** -The Shocking Discovery**

** -The Emergency Room visit**

** -Exclusive photos of Brooke's suicide attempt**

"Suicide attempt!" Brooke shrieked as she snatched the tabloid from Abby and flipped to the story.

Meanwhile Gibbs had become red in the face out of anger. He knew there was little he could do to fix this.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tony sighed as he settled back against the pillows after being helped by a nurse into clean sweatpants from his own wardrobe. Prior to that he had been cleaned up and his bandages were rewrapped. All of which was humiliating and ultimately exhausting. Tony preferred to do everything himself and didn't much care for needing assistance in completing what should be the simplest of tasks.

The Italian shifted into a more comfortable position and glanced out of the window as the nurse left him to rest. Abby had been sitting with him for most of the weekend while Brooke was gone. Gibbs stopped in daily to check on him as well as McGee and Ducky. Even Samantha made time to visit but would only do so when Gibbs wasn't there.

Tony would be lying if he said he didn't want to see his father now that they were getting along but he would understand if DiNozzo Sr. didn't show. He was sure his father wouldn't want to see him this way and he was alright with that.

As Tony stared outside he released a yawn. He hoped that the hospital would release him in time for Ziva's funeral. That was his last thought as his eyes closed and he drifted into a morphine induced state of unconsciousness.


	11. Shock

NCIS

Thicker Than Water

Chapter 11

Shock

Brooke was quiet as she entered Tony's hospital room with a gym bag full of clothes that he had asked Gibbs to retrieve from his apartment. Brooke offered to make the delivery herself when she saw the bag at her father's house the day before when Abby was showing her the tabloid written about her. As painful as it was to be put in the spotlight Brooke realized there was nothing she could do to change it besides making a public appearance or two to squash the rumors.

As she placed the bag on the floor by the bed she forced herself not to think about the media and instead focused on Tony. He looked peaceful when he slept but part of her wondered if that was just because he was heavily medicated. Haley once told her that Nathan slept like a rock for a while after his accident and surgery and it wasn't until he was released from the hospital that his behavior turned ugly.

It was only a matter of days before Tony was able to return home. Brooke would be lying if she said she wasn't worried that the same might to him. It would be even harder to know how badly he was struggling with Ziva's death and his injuries since he lived alone as a bachelor.

The young designer took a seat in the chair beside the bed opting for the more comfortable of the two. Reaching into her tote bag she located her sketchbook and art pencils. Ever since she met the team she felt inspired to create more fashion. With any luck she would be able to launch a fresh business. Now that Clothes of Bro's was destroyed Brooke had the chance to start over. At first the idea of starting from nothing seemed daunting but Haley was right. If she had the talent to succeed in creating her business as a teenager she could certainly do it again especially given the resources she developed the first time.

It was an hour later while Brooke was sketching a dress when Tony began to stir. At first he only shifted his position slightly, took a deep breath, then settled back down. However a minute later he was whimpering and muttering incoherently under his breath.

Brooke set aside her work and reached for his hand which she squeezed gently. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to wake him since she heard that waking a person could be dangerous whether they're sleepwalking or having a nightmare.

Tony went from muttering and whimpering to fidgeting and breathing heavily in a matter of seconds. Brooke bit her lip as she watched him and all she could do was wonder what was going through his mind. Cautiously she rose from the chair then perched on the edge of the bed. It was risky to even consider waking him but she didn't care to see him go through this.

"Tony you're okay, you're safe." Brooke told him in hushed tones. She hoped that he could hear her since he seemed to be in deep.

Tony twitched and shuddered and Brooke noticed that his eyes were moving rapidly beneath his lids. A few minutes passed before his breathing returned to normal and he settled back down. Brooke sighed with relief that it was over but she remained on the edge of the bed holding his hand debating whether or not to ask him about his dream later.

Gibbs didn't expect anything less when he entered the bullpen only to find a note on his desk from the Director's assistant stating that Vance wanted to see him right away. Out of habit the Team Leader glanced up at the level above. He didn't know what he expected to see but part of him was surprised when Vance wasn't standing there keeping watch.

Crumpling up the note Gibbs tossed the note into the trash beside his desk then proceeded to the stairs with his coffee in hand. As usual he didn't bother knocking when he reached the Director's office. Instead he walked right in which was sure to be expected of him.

Vance was standing by the window and didn't have to turn around to know that it was Gibbs who just entered the office but he did anyway. "Good morning Jethro."

Gibbs nodded. "Morning." He mumbled.

"You're probably wondering why I wanted to see you this morning. As you can imagine it has to do with the recent loss we've endured. I want to remind you that if it's necessary there is counseling available for the team." Vance began.

Gibbs resisted the urge to roll his eyes but he did sigh heavily to show is impatience. The Director didn't just call him up here to discuss grief services. "That's not all you wanted to see me about."

"No, it's not." Vance confirmed. "I wanted to bring to your attention that it is necessary to find a new agent for your team especially with DiNozzo on medical leave. I know it's not going to be easy to even consider a replacement this soon but I wouldn't be suggesting it if it didn't have to be done." He continued.

Gibbs listened intently nodding at the appropriate time to show he understood. He couldn't help but notice that there was only one personnel file on Vance's desk though. He thought for sure the Director would have more for him to sift through. Usually there were multiple stacks the lack of in this instance led him to believe that Vance had already made a decision.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that you've already chosen who is going to be on my team for me." Gibbs replied sounding less than enthused on the subject.

Vance attempted to mask his amusement. "I don't think you'll have a problem with the agent I'm assigning to your team."

"Oh and why is that?" Gibbs challenged.

As if on cue Samantha entered the office. This time however instead of wearing a suit fit for a court appearance with a briefcase in hand she was dressed in a pair of slacks and a white button down shirt. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to her elbows. On her hip was a holstered NCIS issued handgun on the other her badge was clipped to her belt and her long hair fell past her shoulders in waves.

"I'm sure there is no need for an introduction." Vance stated.

Gibbs had stopped listening to Vance and he couldn't take his eyes off Samantha. There she was standing in front of him as his partner once again. Half of him was relieved that it was someone he knew and trusted taking Ziva's place but the other half of him couldn't help but question the decision.

Samantha had momentarily died the last time she was an agent after all.

When Brooke returned from the cafeteria with a cup of coffee for herself she found that Tony was no longer alone. A woman who looked to be in her early thirties or even late twenties stood at the foot of his bed with his medical charts in hand. Brooke made the conclusion that she was a doctor since she was in a lab coat and medical scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck. As Brooke entered the room the young doctor looked up. When she saw that Brooke was confused by her presence she spoke.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Jeanne Benoit. I've been assigned to replace Dr. Moore." She introduced herself politely.

Brooke smiled and hoped she didn't look uncomfortable. A part of her wanted to ask why Dr. Moore was being replaced but she felt the other brunette might take it as an insult. She was young but Brooke didn't want to underestimate her.

"I'm Brooke…Davis." Brooke replied kindly. She would have rather said she was Brooke Gibbs but until she changed her name legally she didn't want to cause any confusion.

"I know I'm familiar with your work." Dr. Benoit replied. "You're very talented."

"Thank you." Brooke smiled again.

Jeanne smiled in return and glanced over her shoulder at Tony who was sleeping soundly. It would have been easy to give this case to another doctor but it would be too difficult to explain why having Tony as a patient was a conflict of interest on her part. Instead she made the decision to care for him and if he requested someone else then she would hand over the reins.

Brooke watched the new doctor look at Tony and she wondered if there was something that she should know. "Is something wrong?"

Jeanne turned back to Brooke and shook her head with a reassuring smile.

"Not at all, in fact he's better than expected considering the physical trauma he's endured. It will be necessary for him to go through physical therapy but I don't doubt he'll make a fast recovery." She explained.

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. "Good."

"I've noticed that Tony's morphine intake was higher than necessary, it wasn't at an unsafe level but it didn't need to be as high as it was. I brought it down to a lower less, frequent dosage so if he complains of any pain or discomfort just tell one of the nurses or myself." Jeanne continued.

"Okay." Brooke replied. "Is there anything else I need to know…that you're able to tell me?"

"No, that's about all there is to know. I'll leave you two for now and check back in a little while." Jeanne told her as she left Tony's charts behind.

"Thank you Dr. Benoit.

Jeanne waited until she was out of the room, up three levels, and in the on-call room before letting her guard down. Saying that it was a struggle to keep her emotions in check while she was taking care of Tony would be the understatement of the century.

As she leaned against the door she allowed the tears she'd been holding back to fall. A part of her wanted to have someone else take care of the patient. However she felt that no one could take care of the man she still deeply loved any better than she could.


	12. Bulletproof

NCIS

Thicker Than Water

Chapter 12

Bulletproof

Haley James Scott kept herself busy after the lunch rush by sweeping the floors of the café and wiping down the surfaces including the piano, shelves, and window sills. The former high school teacher valued cleanliness especially in this setting as well as her home.

It was bittersweet to have the café rebuilt. Bitter because it meant that Brooke's business was officially gone and sweet because Haley had the chance to revive her old memories the atmosphere that Karen originally created. When she wasn't at the café Haley spent her spare time helping Peyton or working on her own music. Of course being a wife and mother was always going to be her first priority before herself.

While she was out back taking inventory before the inevitable after school pop of customers Haley heard the bell on the door followed by a pair of heels rapping on the hardwood floor. Haley didn't try to guess who it was before stepping out to greet what she thought would be a customer.

When she came out from the back she found Victoria Davis surveying the café with disapproving eyes. Haley swallowed hard and cleared her throat to get Victoria's attention.

"Hello Mrs. Davis." Haley didn't like the woman any more than the others for the way she treated Brooke but she was polite regardless.

Victoria who had her back to Haley as she looked around turned as she was addressed.

"Good afternoon Haley, interesting what you've done with the place." Victoria replied. Of course her tone suggested that by interesting she meant something distasteful.

At any rate Haley decided to take the statement as a compliment knowing that it would irritate Victoria.

"Thank you, I think Karen would be happy with how it turned out. Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Haley smiled and though it was false it appeared to be genuine.

Victoria stood in the middle of the café for a moment staring at Haley, assessing the young business owner. By Haley's surprise Victoria moved toward the counter and took a seat on one of the tall chairs.

Haley had expected her best friend's mother to decline and demand where her daughter was but maybe she was here for other reasons. While Victoria sat down Haley presented her with a cup and poured the freshly brewed coffee with practiced hands.

Victoria studied her the entire time and Haley pretended not to notice. After setting the pot of coffee back on its station she turned to Victoria and watched her sip the black coffee. It surprised her when Victoria seemed to approve of the taste and strength simply based on her expression.

Haley had learned long ago through Brooke that Victoria was opinionated. If the older woman didn't like something she'd make a person painfully aware. If she was silent Haley took that as a good sign whereas with most other people silence was negative.

Victoria took a second sip and swallowed slowly before speaking to Haley again. "I assume my daughter is not in town."

Haley nodded. "You assume correctly, Brooke is in Washington DC visiting her Dad and the friends she's made there."

Victoria became quiet again and for the first time Haley could see that she was actually thinking hard about what she was going to say next.

"Haley, you need to warn Brooke about her father." Victoria finally told her.

Haley allowed her confusion to show in her features. "Victoria I'm sure that Brooke probably wants nothing to do with you right now. However don't you think that's something you should talk to her about?"

Victoria sighed and seemed to become vulnerable on the spot. Haley felt a little uneasy since Victoria was typically the type of woman to hide such feelings.

"Brooke has blocked my number and hasn't replied to any of my emails. Trust me Haley I know this is my own fault and there were certainly better ways to tell her about her father. Now I'm realizing that she could really get hurt and if she does it will be because of me." Victoria explained.

Haley ran a hand through her blonde waves and sighed. "As her mother it's been your job to protect Brooke all her life. In all the time I've known her Brooke has been on her own because you and Richard expected her to raise herself."

"I think you should know that she is a strong and capable woman with the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. I'll talk to Brooke but I'm not doing it for you. It will be because I have my best friend's interest at heart and she needs someone who knows how to talk to her without making her feel inferior."

Tony opened his eyes to the subtle scratching of a pencil against paper. When he turned his head toward the sound he found Brooke working diligently wearing a pair of glasses with her hair twisted into a casual bun and secured with a hair clip.

When he cleared his throat Brooke looked up and smiled warmly at him. "Hey there, how are you feeling?"

"I feel like I could eat a steak bigger than my head." Tony chuckled, his voice sounding groggy and rough from all the sleeping.

Brooke laughed as she closed her portfolio and tucked it away into her bag. "I think your doctor would recommend starting you with something simpler. As much as I'd like to get you what you want I'd hate to get you in trouble for it."

"I have an iron stomach, just ask my colleagues but if soup and crackers keep us both out of trouble, I suppose I can suffer." Tony replied as he carefully sat up in bed.

Brooke stood and retrieved the pitcher of water from the table on Tony's other side. She filled the plastic cup beside it and handed it over to him.

Tony took it and quickly thanked her before he practically gulped it down. It seemed to instantly cure the dryness in his throat quite a bit.

"Dad grabbed some clothes from your place. I brought them with me in case you wanted to change after you woke up." Brooke told him.

"It's kind of strange hearing someone refer to Gibbs like that." Tony laughed. "I hope my toothbrush is in there and some shower stuff too." He added.

"I think it's all there but I didn't look." Brooke walked around the bed again and grabbed the gym bag from the floor. She hesitated though when she turned to Tony with it afraid to set it on his lap because of his injuries.

"It's okay Brooke." Tony reached for the handles on the bag and took it from her. He gently placed it on the least effected area of his legs. It still hurt but he put on a brave face.

When he unzipped the bag he found the clothes he asked for, his toothbrush, and a tube of paste along with his body wash and shampoo. After looking through the bag he was pleased to have something other than the hospital issue clothing to wear.

"Brooke could you do me a favor and get the doctor, I'd like to find out if I can shower on my own." Tony asked.

"Of course but you should know that Dr. Moore isn't taking care of you anymore. Earlier another doctor was in here checking on you while you were sleeping. She didn't say why she was replacing Dr. Moore though." Brooke explained.

"Who is she?"

"Dr. Jeanne Benoit." Brooke shrugged.

Samantha remained at her desk while Gibbs and McGee left the office for the lunch hour. Of course she had the option to leave early as well but she didn't have the appetite for anything other than work. The agent considered visiting Tony but it was likely that Gibbs would be there and he had been making her feel invisible all day.

With her colleagues away and few people still in the office Samantha knew it was as good a time as any to take a walk down memory lane. First she glanced around the squad room to make sure no one was within view of her desk.

Once she was sure that it was safe she accessed the file on the event that nearly ended her life. The details of over half the report she had no recollection of whatsoever and that fact scared her more than what was written.

As she sat at her desk she quickly skimmed over what she knew without a doubt happened that night. When she reached the part of the report that documented the injuries she sustained Samantha's heart began to pound in her chest. Instinctively one hand found its way to the scar on her neck where she had been slashed. She traced the line with her fingertips while she placed her other hand on her abdomen over her shirt where she had supposedly been shot.

There were other injuries from the event but they were not as fatal as the gunshot and throat slashing. By the time she was through reading the report Samantha had tears in her eyes and looked up at the ceiling for a moment to prevent them from spilling. She had lost a lot more than just her life for a few seconds that night and since then she had been struggling to put the pieces back together.

Leaving her desk with the report still on her computer screen Samantha rushed to the elevator and once inside she punched the button for the evidence garage with extra force. The agent tapped her foot impatiently during the ride down which seemed to take an eternity.

When the doors opened she crossed the concrete floor of the garage to the lockup. The Baggie Bunnies as Tony referred to them had logged out for the afternoon which meant Samantha would have the privacy she was seeking.

Quickly she punched in the access code on the electronic lock, waited for the buzzing, and entered the enclosed space making sure the gate closed behind her. The clicking of her pumps as she moved was the only sound in the garage beyond the hammering in her chest.

When she reached the shelf that contained what she was looking for Samantha took a deep breath and with shaking hands she removed the cardboard box with her case number handwritten on the side.

Biting her lip Samantha carried it over to the desk in the corner and scribbled her name down on the evidence log. If people questioned her sanity for looking through the box then so be it but she wasn't about to lose her job over not acknowledging that it was still policy to sign.

Hands still shaking Samantha took the top off the box and peered inside having known what would be there before she even took it off the shelf. The box contained a hard copy of the file along with sealed plastic evidence bags. Samantha's focus however was on the brown paper bag. She reached for the box of rubber gloves on the table and pulled out a pair. Once she had them on she opened the paper bag and removed the contents.

The clothes she had been wearing that night were on the top. Each item had been separated into individual evidence bags. On the bottom of the paper bag were her shoes the suede fabric of which was soaked in blood. Samantha sighed and picked up each item of bagged clothing one at a time.

A shiver ran down her spine when she saw the torn undergarments and skirt. However what haunted her most were the bloodstains on the shirt that began at the neck and covered the entire front. Samantha choked on the lump in her throat and dropped the bag. Removing a glove she brought her hand to her neck again and traced the scar with her trembling fingers.

Unable to take it anymore she shoved everything back into the paper bag and returned it to the box. She placed the cover back on and was about to pick it up to put it back on the shelf but before she did she felt a presence behind her.

Slowly Samantha turned her head having an idea on who it might be. When she glanced over her shoulder her suspicion was confirmed when she found Gibbs standing there double fisting coffee. Samantha faced him with tears falling and didn't try to hide them for once.

"How long have you been standing there?" Samantha asked shakily.

Gibbs looked at her with sympathy in his eyes and moved to set the coffee cups down on the desk behind her. After doing so he grabbed the evidence box and returned it to its rightful place.

Samantha removed her gloves as he did this and chucked them into the trash bin beside the desk.

"You don't think I'm ready to go back to field work." Samantha accused when he was in front of her again.

"I didn't say that." Gibbs replied.

"You didn't have to Jethro, it's in the way you left Vance's office earlier and the way you looked at me just now." Samantha explained.

Gibbs was silent as he reached around her for the coffees. He handed her one and brought the other to his lips.

Samantha accepted it and wiped away her tears before taking a sip as well. She was avoiding eye contact with him now. Gibbs took notice and gently placed his hand under her chin and pushed up to get her to look at him. When he opened his mouth to speak however both of their cell phones began to ring.


End file.
